


What We Lost

by someonesendhelp



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: And it's my first porn, Angst, Animal Death, Dip has amnesia, Don't worry, F/F, Hey guys the rating went up!, Human!Bill, I swear, I'm a sucker for hurt!Bill, I'm also not good with multi chapter fics, M/M, Masturbation, Sexual Content, Sibling Fluff, amnesiac!Dipper, and I added more tags, but it's just a deer, demon OC, everything I do here has a reason, hahah, how do you even porn?, hurt!Bill, sorry for badly written porn, sue me, told you
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-12
Updated: 2016-03-06
Packaged: 2018-04-04 01:50:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 50,911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4121746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/someonesendhelp/pseuds/someonesendhelp
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What Dipper Pines thought was a normal day in the woods was actually the day that he would lose all the memories he treasures.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! So this is my first multi-chapter fic for this pairing and I swear I'm not good with multi-chapter fics.  
> Also, I got my basic knowledge about amnesia through wikipedia so I highly apologize in advance if there are things written here that are totally inaccurate.  
> I don't have beta, btw, so forgive me for any grammar errors and misspellings.

He was falling.

The scenery blurred around him as his body was nearing the surface of the water. He tried clawing the air hoping that something would sag on his trembling hands and stop his fall, but there was nothing. Tears welled on the corner of his eyes as his life flashed right before him showing his successes, defeats, cherished moments and  loved ones.

He saw his parents beside him every time he was sick, comforting him so that he would feel better. He saw his best friend riding the golf cart with him, modified for it to be able to fly. He saw his childhood crush watching crappy horror movies with him and laughing obnoxiously. He saw his great uncle telling him how proud he was of him for learning how to stand up for himself. He saw his sister defending him from bullies that made fun of his interests and odd birthmark.

And then he saw the demon he swore he would love until the end of time.

And now he would lose all of them. And now he would lose him.

He closed his eyes as he let the tears that overwhelmed him flow out while he silently accepted his impending fate. With a loud splash, he fell straight into the deep, freezing water. And with the air knocked out of his lungs, his brain was deprived of the much needed oxygen, making him lose his consciousness and probably, his life.


	2. Empty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm adding another chapter because only posting the prologue is a total rip- off, don't you all agree?

Sunlight entered through the small gaps of his binds, much to his dismay. He groggily grumbled a string of incoherent curses as he shielded his eyes from the menace that kept him from returning to his much needed slumber. He tossed and turned on his bed and just gave up the moment he realized it was all futile and the sun will still be a fucking jerk as it always had been.

Nineteen-years-old Dipper Pines swung his legs on the edge of the mattress and abruptly stood up, causing himself to be dizzy. He clutched his forehead in a small attempt to stop the throbbing of his brain while making a beeline towards the door and to the bathroom. He turned the faucet on and hastily washed his face before heading downstairs.

As he reached the end of the stairs, Dipper noticed that the house smelled suspiciously sweet, like a large amount of sprinkles were scattered in every nook and cranny of their house. He poked his head in the kitchen and found out that he wasn’t almost wrong.

Standing in the middle of  the pristine, white kitchen was his twin sister, Mabel, cooking a large amount of pancakes. He noticed that the other stack of pancakes that were already done was covered in excessive amounts of sprinkles and... is that glitter?

Dipper’s face twisted in disgust as he confirmed that they were indeed glitters. He always found it odd how his twin could like such monstrosity. He even wondered how she hadn’t poisoned herself with her ‘Mabel Juice’ that he swore, in one way or another, is extremely toxic and should not be consumed.

The male twin walked towards her sister, who just noticed him when he was right beside her. “Oh hey, Dip Dot! G’Morning!” Mabel greeted excitedly at her twin who just winced at the volume of her voice. She chuckled at his reaction and returned her attention to the pancakes in the pan. “You’re awfully early today, dear brother! What’s up?” she expertly scooped the pancake, placed it to a plate and grabbed the batter to make another one.

Dipper raised an eyebrow at the amount of pancakes her sister was cooking. There’s just too much for the both of them. He just let out a tired sigh and decided to let his twin do whatever she wants. “Stupid sun. Woke me up.” he muttered, earning a light chuckle from Mabel.

“Wanna beat ‘im up?” she suggested while Dipper just snorted. “C’mon! We could try! You know, punch him in the face!” She pumped her hands in the air to show her enthusiasm. It suddenly died down when she smelled the scent of burnt food. “MY BABIES!” she screeched as she tried to salvage the poor breakfast away from more damage.

Dipper laughed as he watched his sister fuss over the burned food, slap him in the arm and grumble and whine. He grabbed a stack of his breakfast (the one without the glitter because he would never eat such thing) and sat down on the chair. His twin followed him with a solemn look on her face and a plate of sparkling pancakes on her hand. He grabbed the maple and butter, spread them thick, and gobbled up the first piece.

“It’s okay, Mabes. I’m sure that pancake is happy where he is right now.” he assured her as he gave a light pat on her shoulder. This seemed to have lightened her mood and she was back to her usual self, sparing no mercy to the glittery food. “Sho, ven awe ve leeaing?” he asked with a mouthful of pancakes, stabbing another piece to shove to his mouth. He munched them slowly and swallowed then grabbed his glass of milk and drank a small portion of it.  

Mabel looked up from her food to her brother. She gave him a look of discomfort, swallowing her own pancakes down to her stomach. The older twin  halfheartedly smiled at him, averting her eyes from meeting his. “Around ten, I guess?” she said a little too quietly Dipper almost hadn’t caught it. He nodded slowly and returned his attention back to his food. He could still see his sister from the corner of his eyes and was crestfallen when he saw that her mood seemed to have dropped again. “Dip, are you sure you’re ready? I mean, I could call our Grunkle, you know Great Uncle Stan, and tell him we’ll just go there next Summer. I’m sure he’ll understand.”

Dipper groaned at his sister. She obviously was babying him after the ‘accident’ happened in Gravity Falls last Christmas break. He looked at her as he finished his food and drank all of his milk. “Mabel, I will be alright.” he assured her. “Besides, you said so yourself that we never miss spending our summer in Gravity Falls. And this time we get to live there for as long as we want!”

“Yeah, but... I dunno...” she slumped on her seat, playing with the pancake on her plate. Dipper let out a sigh, standing up to collect his dishes and placing them on the sink. He returned by Mabel’s side and gave her a light noogie. “Dipper! Stop it!” she chuckled as she tried to swat his hands away with the glitter covered pancake on her fork, smudging some of the food to Dipper’s arm.

“Yuck! Eugh! Mabel!” he giggled, rubbing his arm with his other hand transferring the smudge to his left palm. Mabel laughed louder as Dipper made a face of disgust but indignantly protested when Dipper wiped the remaining smudge to his twin’s face. The laughter slowly receded when Dipper gave Mabel’s hand a reassuring squeeze. She smiled at the gesture of her younger twin. “I promise that I will be alright Mabel. I might not be able to remember everything for a few days of staying there but I assure you I will remember them. And don’t you miss your friends there? Who were they again?” He looked up the ceiling in attempt to remember their faces or even their personality but to no avail.

“Candy, Grenda and Pacifica” she inquired making Dipper nod slightly. He subconsciously grabbed a paper napkin located in the middle of the table and folded them as he tried to remember other details. Was Candy that big woman in their friend group or was it Pacifica? He gave up when his head started to hurt from too much thinking, turning his attention back to the paper napkins.

He had folded them in little triangles.

Dipper looked at his twin who was watching him somberly. She slightly shook her head and proceeded to deposit her dishes to the sink. She returned beside her brother, patting his shoulders lightly. “Hey, Mabel?” he asked as he slightly tore his eyes from the miniature three pointed shape. Mabel just gave him a quiet ‘hm?’ “How fond am I with Trigonometry?”

His sister smiled lightly, chuckling even, at his question yet it sounded somewhat sad. “I think I have no right to answer that, broseph... But-” She made a beeline towards the door frame and started to head upstairs. Before she was out of earshot, she added “-much more than you can imagine.” which led to Dipper having more questions than answers.


	3. Welcome Back To The Shack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dipper gets to meet his Grunkle Stan... Again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guess what! Two updates in one day! Why? Because school just started and I don't know how I can frequent in having an internet connection, so yeah...
> 
> This is update 1/2

Dipper couldn’t stay still on his seat. He kept on shifting positions every five minutes or looking out to the window to watch the scenery pass by. He also kept on glancing at his watch and obviously, it was starting to make Mabel worried.

“What’s the matter, bro-bro?” she asked, swerving to the side as another car passed by them. She spared a glance to her jittery twin who had resorted to folding paper triangles to calm his nerves down. “Are you seasick or something?”

The younger twin forced a smile as his trembling hands grabbed another piece. Mabel noted on how he seemed to calm himself by making origami triangles. He shook his head at Mabel’s question, turning his attention to the pine trees they passed by. “I’m just nervous.” he muttered, putting down the triangle he had just finished folding and grabbed another paper. “Wh-what if someone I know there greets me or whatever then I couldn’t recognize them and you know they might get mad and hate me and- I don’t know...” He let the little unfinished triangle fall silently on his lap.

“Dipper, Gravity Falls is a little town. Word spreads quickly and judging by how popular you are there, I’m sure almost everyone are aware of you losing your memories.” Mabel assured him, glancing at the rear view mirror then back to her brother. She smiled at him to calm his frantic nerves and he smiled back.

Few moments had passed before Dipper broke the silence that lingered between them. “I’m always thankful that you’re always by my side, Mabes.” he suddenly confessed to his twin. “Even when I was in that coma for 4 months.” Mabel’s eyes started to glisten at her brother’s words. Dipper’s sweet side never faded despite his amnesia and Mabel’s thankful for that. If only she could, she’ll definitely hug her brother.

“Awww that’s sweet Dippin’ Sauce. Thank you. But we both know that you would do the same if it were to happen to me. Maybe much, much more.” she said, tears welling up the corner of her eyes. They passed the sign that showed they arrived Gravity Falls and Dipper became jittery again.

“We’re almost to the Shack.” he mumbled as he returned to folding more paper triangles. Mabel sighed as he looked at her brother and his current state of being. She wondered how it would affect everyone, especially _him_. He would totally be enraged when he finds out that Dipper almost died while he was not with the boy.

Mabel feared the demon’s fury but she deserved it. She even blames herself for what happened to her brother. If she hadn’t let him alone that time, then this wouldn’t happen to him. Then he wouldn’t suffer like this.

“I’m so sorry, Dipper.” she muttered softly that no one could hear it but herself.

+++

They arrived minutes later at the Mystery Shack, their Grunkle Stan standing on the porch to greet them. Mabel ran up to hug her Grunkle tightly leaving Dipper to shift awkwardly to where he was standing. Still shy in approaching his great uncle he supposedly spent his every summer with, he decided to open the trunk of their car and unload their things, well, almost everything they  owned since they decided that they will be staying for a good period of time.

“Where are Soos and Wendy?” his sister asked to their grunkle. Soos and Wendy? They seem to ring a bell.

Stan scratched his stubble. “They’ll arrive here tomorrow. Wendy’s classes will end today and said she’ll ride the first bus towards here tomorrow morning. Soos, on the other hand, is in Portland.” he explained lamely, much to Mabel’s disappointment. “But he’ll be here.” he added, lightening Mabel’s mood.

After their little exchange, his sister jogged up beside him and grabbed both his shoulders. Dipper gave out a high pitched yelp as his sister steeled him towards their uncle. He stiffened the moment he was standing right in front of Stan, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. He gulped at the intimidating presence of the man before him but didn’t budge since this was the man who watched over him and Mabel every summer they spent there.

Stan just gave him a gentle smile before pulling him into a one-sided hug. Dipper froze at the contact but relaxed at the somewhat familiar scent his Grunkle emanated. He returned the embrace with the same fervor before Stan pulled away.

“Good to have you back again, kid.” he uttered before ruffling Dipper’s hair. “I got something for ya’” He briefly left for a moment and returned with a new, unused blue and white trucker hat with a pine tree logo on it. Stan held it out to Dipper who accepted it with a glint in his eyes. “You might not remember it but you used to wear something similar when you were twelve. Now that it doesn’t fit you anymore, maybe a bigger one would suit you.” he sheepishly said as he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. Dipper smiled more at his great uncle’s concern.

“Thanks, Grunkle Stan. I appreciate it a lot.” he thanked as he immediately wore his trademark hat, Mabel grinning at his side.

“Dipper! You looked just like when we were twelve!” she squealed as she examined her brother. Dipper adjusted the hat on his head and muttered a small ‘yeah’, remembering how he looked like when he was twelve in some photographs Mabel had shown him.

Stan interrupted their nostalgia (mostly on Mabel’s part) with a gruff cough. Both twins looked at him while he tried to smooth his face back to its usual grumpy look. “Now, if both of you gremlins are done standing under the blazing heat of the sun, you can now start unpacking cause you’ll work your butts here first thing tomorrow morning.” he huffed as he left the twins’ presence.

Dipper glanced at his twin for Stan’s sudden shift of mood but Mabel just snickered. “He’s usually like that. Acting all hard and tough when he’s just actually a wrinkly, over- sized teddy bear.” she explained which he just snorted at.

Mabel turned her attention to their luggage and Dipper followed suit. He grabbed the heavier ones while his twin proceeded to take hold of the hand carried bags. “Oh, that’s heavy.” he grunted as he made his way inside the shack.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got no beta!  
> Comments and criticism are greatly appreciated


	4. Old Friends, New Faces

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update 2/2 :D

Sensing that Dipper was out of earshot, Mabel unceremoniously dragged Grunkle Stan towards the kitchen, much to the elder’s protest. She hastily turned around to face her grunkle, worry obvious on her face.

“Where is Bill?” she asked frantically, panic adorning her usual cheerful voice

“Out in the woods, why?” Stan replied without much interest. Mabel started chewing on her nails. “Woah, Sweetie. What’s wrong?”

“You haven’t told Bill, right?”

“I told him nothing. Though, he kept on pestering me to call Dipper the moment he came back from whatever business he had.”

Mabel’s eyes widened at what she heard. “And what did you say to him?”

“Well, I told him that the boy was extremely busy these days and that I can’t disturb him.”

“Had he tried calling Dipper by himself?” she asked again, checking to see if Dipper was coming downstairs. He wasn’t.

“No. He hadn’t. Said he hated the static noise the phone emits.” Stan’s eyes narrowed at the memory of the demon throwing his phone on the wall resulting for him to forcibly buy a new one. Returning his thoughts to the much important issue, he asked Mabel,”Had you told your brother about Cipher?”

Mabel shook her head hastily. “No. I have no right to... I think...” she mumbled the last part almost inaudibly. “Please let Dipper find this out for himself. Please Grunkle Stan.” Mabel pleaded, her puppy dog eyes on their maximum power. “I think it’s best that Dipper finds out about this himself...” Stan just grumbled a ‘Whatever you say, kid.’ before Mabel hugged him tightly and left towards the direction of her room.

+++

Dipper placed both hands on his hips as he took in his surroundings. He got the attic room he and Mabel used when they were younger. Or at least that’s what Mabel said. He studied the room for anything out of the ordinary, noticing that he got a queen-sized bed instead of a single person type. He wondered why they would give him such large bed if he’s the only one sleeping on it. “Hm... weird.” he mumbled as he continued observing the room more.

Come to think of it, the room was suspiciously clean like someone has been keeping it that way. He doubts that their grunkle would have the room cleaned for them. The room’s state also tells that it has just been used recently, like someone had been staying there. Dipper’s eyebrows met instantly. There was totally something off here.

Dipper might have lost his memories but that doesn’t mean his great observation skills and love for solving mysteries vanished with it. In fact, they had somewhat gotten keener and sharper than before. (Mabel said, of course) He decided to look for clues regarding the state the room was in, looking at every nook and cranny possible.

He started with the most obvious place to search: the closet. He slowly opened the door, creaking at the sudden disturbance. He peeked at the inside of the furniture and was surprised at what he saw.

There were clothes neatly folded and hanged in it.

His brows furrowed more as he inspected the articles one by one. Does he own these clothes? Dipper doesn’t agree with the theory. Looking at the current subject of his interest, the owner of these clothing was probably a taller person than him. Taller and lankier who was fond of the color yellow. He spared a glance on the bed and noticed that the sheets were yellow too. He turned back to the closet and saw a large amount of dapper clothing and a few hand knitted sweaters that he recognizes as Mabel’s work.

He inspected the latter and saw odd designs on them: An eye and a triangle on some and the words “Illumi-NAUGHTY” , “Always Watching”, and “EYE OF CIPHER” on others.

He raised an eyebrow at every odd design. Okay. So the mystery person he is dealing with right now is a weirdo who is currently residing in his room, has a fascination with the color yellow, is into stylish clothing and sweaters that somehow suggest the brotherhood of the ‘Illuminati’ in them.

Seeing no other clues on the closet, he went to inspect the drawer only to find an old, beaten up book emblazoned with a six fingered hand and a neatly painted number ‘3’ inside it. He took the book to inspect it closely when he heard his sister shouting for him from downstairs.

“DIPPER! WE’RE LEAVING!” she yelled excitedly causing him to haphazardly shove the book back to the drawer, muttering an ‘I’ll be back for you’ before he scampered downstairs to meet his thrilled sister.

+++

“So Dipper, this is Candy, this is Grenda and this is Pacifica!” Mabel introduced the three women to him the moment they reached the mall. He acknowledge each of them with a small nod and a shy grin while they smiled genuinely at them. Except for Pacifica.

She looked ready to kill with the way she glared daggers at him. He wondered what he could have done to earn her wrath. He started to try and recall his past but still unsuccessful. 

“Hello, Dipper. I am Candy. Pleased to meet you... again” she said a little too sweetly for Dipper’s liking. Was she trying to flirt? And was he this bad at picking the atmosphere? Though, he did not miss when his sister slightly nudged the girl making her stop at whatever she plans to do.

“I’M GRENDA! IT’S NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN!” she greeted loudly, Dipper slightly flinched. So Grenda was the big one. He slightly flushed at the mistake he made earlier that day. Good thing he hadn’t mentioned it to Mabel or else he’ll never hear the end of it.

The blonde, (Pacifica was it?) strode towards him, and did the unthinkable. She slapped Dipper, hard enough to leave a hand mark on his cheek, without batting an eyelash. She almost jumped at him if Mabel hadn’t caught her before she could do whatever beating she was about to grant him. “You idiot!” she screeched at the still appalled brunette. A few people started to look at them but she didn’t seem to care. “How dare you endanger yourself like that and leave everyone worried?! Did you know how much Mabel had cried because of you?!”

Okay, this bitch is definitely FURIOUS at him. He was irritated when she slapped on his face the fact that he had done something to earn himself a place in the history of idiots. He already compensated for that with his lost memories, do they really need to remind him every time?

He then felt a guilty for thinking that way. He did something really, really stupid and now everyone that cared for him is suffering and adjusting just because of his amnesia. He felt really guilty when he remembered the look on Mabel’s face the time he woke up from the coma and he couldn’t recognize her. How crestfallen she was.  Dipper remembered all the trouble he had caused and how much he hated himself for being stupid.

“You’re right... I’m sorry. I’m an idiot.” he apologized causing the blonde to calm down a little. She still glowered at  him, making it much more harder for Dipper to form his words. “I-I didn’t want this to happen. I didn’t want everyone to worry for me. Especially Mabel. I want my memories back. I want everything to go back the way they used to. I want everything to be alright again.” Dipper covered his face with  both hands, trying to stop the tears that threatened to overflow from his eyes. “I’m so sorry.”

Mabel dashed to her brother’s side to comfort him, telling everything was alright and he shouldn’t apologize and he’s not to blame. Pacifica just let out an exasperated sigh, pulling him into a brief hug before abruptly breaking the contact. She placed a hand on her hip while composing herself to her natural bitch mode.

“Promise me that you won’t be an idiot again and I’ll forgive you.” Pacifica huffed and gave Mabel an apologetic smile. The latter smiled back, still holding her brother’s hand. The blonde then clasped her hands, getting their attention.

“Who wants some Starbucks? My treat.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> But the real question is... Where's Bill?
> 
> He's on the next chapter!


	5. My Pine Tree

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bill makes an appearance. Dipper shrieked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting today cause I got the opportunity!  
> HA!

Bill looked at the dark, night sky, noticing that he had wandered off too long for it to get this late. He slowly stood himself up, dusting off the dirt that clung to his pants with his gloved hands. Taking in his surroundings for one last time, he turned towards the trail and trudged back towards the end of the forest, back to the shack.

The dream demon sighed in annoyance. If only he had his powers right now, he could had just teleported himself and not deal with large protruding roots and overhanging branches. But nooo! That Stan had to seal his powers the moment he stepped on the front porch. If only that old man wasn’t related to his Pine Tree by blood, Stan would be in six feet underground now, or inside a fine piece of china.

Speaking of his Pine Tree, he wondered what his lover was up to right now. He sure did miss that little trouble magnet. He was a little mad, though. The boy just left without waiting for him to return. He did tell him that he won’t be gone long but the boy still left and hadn’t called even once. Shooting Star hadn’t contacted him either, which was weird since she always calls that old man when they reach Piedmont. But now... Something was wrong and it left Bill’s stomach feeling sour.

Bill yelled a string of curses in Latin with one breathing. Damn that Stanford for blocking his powers! Damn that stupid, worthless human! Now he couldn’t check on the twins’, or even look at them in the mindscape. He needs to check on them! He needs to check on his Pine Tree! He needs to see Dipper!

In his anger, he tried to summon his powers despite the seal on him, his human shell protesting due to the unbearable pain. The tattooed cryptogram that adorned both his arms, that coiled around his body, that was carved on both his legs glowed blue as it kept him from accessing it. Acknowledging that his efforts were futile, he gave up, slightly panting due to the exertion.

He glanced at the sigil that was on his arm. “Incarceratus” he mumbled silently, tracing the symbols in his arm. He looked at the other and sighed out, “Inretio” before letting himself groan at the state he was in now. He was the great and powerful Bill Cipher. The demon who was feared by both young and old. The demon who burned a whole village due to a shaman’s mindless mistake.

And the demon who endured all shame and humiliation known just to be with the boy he loved.

Bill closed his single visible eye, the other hidden behind an eye patch, in an attempt to calm himself down.

His thoughts ran to how his Pine Tree could easily calm him down. Every embrace, every kiss, every cuddle; he tried to remember it as if Dipper was there himself. Oh he absolutely missed the boy.

The dream demon raked a hand through his golden locks, chuckling at himself. He really got it DEEP for Dipper. He chuckled more as he realized the pun he accidentally made. Even without Dipper by his side, the kid was a huge distraction.

Looking up at the sky, his face scrunched up in annoyance as billion stars were already splayed. This time, his thoughts were the ones who wandered so much, it had gotten more late. Judging the stars’ alignment and the shade the sky emits, he concluded that it was around ten. He groaned at how late it was and marched hastily to reach the shack.

+++

After 30 minutes, he had reached the poor excuse of an establishment without too much delay. His vision instantly  landed on the vehicle parked in front of the house. He was sure it was not Stan’s. Now where did he see that car  befo-

Realization struck him like a lightning bolt. He dashed like a madman, fumbling for the door handle as if he had forgotten how to use it,  and whirled past Stan who stood up from his chair to check on the being that was harassing his door. The old man just sputtered when he saw the demon scampering to go upstairs.

Bill heard him frantically call for Mabel.

A grin stretched out of his face as he was running in the hallway, nearing the attic more and more. The twins really are here. His Pine Tree is here. Back to him, back to his grasp.

He also heard the female Pines twin call for him. He ignored it.

He threw the door open, his breathing heavy and erratic. Bill felt ecstasy swirl through his every nerve as he saw a familiar figure sleeping in the bed he and his lover shared. He wasted no moment  in sliding himself beside his partner, feeling the familiar warmth waft through him. He snuggled closer, the other stirring to consciousness. Bill’s smiled widened as he took a glimpse at his Pine Tree’s face after he hadn’t seen it for so long.

What he saw wasn’t warm smile and happiness.

What he saw was a terrified scowl and fear.

Followed by a shrill scream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uh.. please someone tell me if I had butchered their personalities cause I may or may not have to edit them...  
> Danke! :D


	6. Who Are You?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bill is not a rapist. Well, maybe....

Okay, that was not a manly scream and he’ll not deny that now. But back to more important matters

Dipper shoved the man who had no sense of personal space away from him, causing the other to fall butt-first on the floor. He pressed himself in the wall, cautiously eyeing the stranger on the floor. Said stranger had a stunned look on his face, as if something that should not have happened happened.

“MABEL! GRUNKLE STAN!” he screeched, scuttling towards the door for dear escape. Who the fuck was that guy? A murderer? A thief? A rapist? Yep, probably a rapist. His nose collided with Mabel’s, not noticing her due to the panic and fear for his own life. And probably his virginity... if he is still a virgin.

“Calm down, Dipper. It’s okay.” Mabel tried to sooth her alarmed brother while nursing her nose. He clutched tightly on her arm. Mabel soothingly rubbed small circles on his back. His breathing slowly evened out and he let go of Mabel.

“I’m okay now. I’m okay.” he assured them, sparing a glance at the still appalled man on the floor. He tried to remember his features but there was nothing he could recall. Dipper observed as the man’s face shifted from shock to confusion in mere seconds.

“P-Pine Tree? Wha- What is-?” the man looked at him, searching for answers. Dipper hastily shook his head making the stranger turn to his sister. “Shooting Star?” Mabel stiffened when the man glanced at her, she was slightly trembling, tears welling in her eyes. The man scowled.

“B-Bill-” before she can finish whatever she wanted to say to him, Dipper stepped between them. His overprotective brother instinct taking over.

“L-Look man. Whatever the problem is, Mabel did nothing wrong.” he tried to appease the enraged man. Their grunkle stood by them, ready to jump into action in case things go out of hand. “Y-you see I have this amnesia and I can’t remember anything or anyone from my past. Wh-Whoever you are, I’m sorry if I couldn’t remember you. But none of this is Mabel’s fault.”

The man’s, Bill as what Mabel called him, eyes disturbingly glowed golden, his body slightly turning red. Dipper noticed the weird tattoos on both the man’s arms glow blue. He concluded that they were not dealing with a normal human being right now.

Their Grunkle Stan also tried to calm the irate man.  “Listen, Cipher. I know it was wrong for us to keep Dipper’s condition from you but you should-”

“WRONG?!” the man cried, his single visible eye glistening. “OF COURSE IT WAS WRONG!” Bill pulled his hair in frustration and Dipper could clearly see he was trying not to cry. “YOU KNOW HOW MUCH THAT KID MEANS TO ME! YOU KNOW THAT!” He turned to point a finger on Mabel. “ESPECIALLY YOU, MABEL!” Mabel tried to stop trembling but couldn’t “YET WHAT DID YOU DO?! WHAT DID YOU DO?!”

Dipper was more confused than anything. What’s this guy’s deal? And blaming Mabel and Stan? Keeping his condition from him? How important is he to the man? Dipper clutched his head as pain was starting to creep up.

All of them looked at him, Mabel and Stan instantly rushing to his side as he started to groan in pain.  The man (Bill, right?) watched as they came to his aid, Mabel, forgetting her fear for a moment, ran past him to retrieve his box of medicines. Dipper took it hastily, dry swallowing the pill. After a few moments, his headache receded.

“I’m alright now.” he mumbled which led to his twin sighing in relief. He slowly glanced at Bill and their gazes met. Bill’s eye was... empty, devoid of any emotion and Dipper can’t  tell what he was thinking. The man broke the eye contact and turned to his great uncle.

“Stanford, remove the sigil off of me. “ he said, his great uncle’s eyes widening at the peculiar request. “Remove. The. Sigil.” he ordered again.

“I can’t, Cipher.” his uncle deadpanned, but the man refused to accept ‘no’ for an answer.

“REMOVE IT!” he boomed, startling Dipper again. “Don’t you see that I can return his memories? Return everything back to normal?!” Now it was Dipper’s turn to be appalled. This man can restore his lost memories? Like ALL of his memories?

 The offer sounded sweet to Dipper. Before he can nod in agreement, his sister suddenly spoke. “Bill, don’t! You can’t!” They all looked at her as if she had grown a second head.

Stan, also seeing the pros of Bill’ proposal, decided to speak for all of them. “Why not, Mabel? I mean he COULD do tha-” 

“No, Grunkle Stan! We can’t do that! I-it will overwhelm Dipper!” she started worrying her lower lip. “T-The doctor said we can’t force Dipper to recall everything at once. His brain won’t be able to handle it. It could lead to his insanity.” she bowed her head low. “Baby steps, that’s what the doctor advised.”

The blond man (Bill right? Damn he keeps on forgetting it) hit his forehead hard and bellowed in frustration before storming out. They could hear his loud footsteps descending the stairs and not a moment later, the slamming of the door. Mabel hurried after him.

“I’m just gonna check on him. Is that okay, Dip?” she asked her twin. Dipper just nodded absentmindedly. She carefully descended the stairs and out on the porch.

“That was one hell of an exchange, huh?” his grunkle muttered before patting him on the back. Dipper acknowledge his effort in lightening up the mood but did not say anything. “Welp, time for you to rest. We don’t want that big brain of yours getting hurt again. Go to bed now, you little knucklehead.”

“But what about Mabel? Is it okay to leave her with that... freak show?”

“Nah, your sister will be fine. Bill won’t harm her, I’m sure.”

Dipper nodded at Stan’s assurance and went inside his room. He laid on his bed, hoping that sleep would claim him easily.

But sleep did not come. And he couldn’t stop ignoring the nagging feeling tucked down in his brain and the ache  in his chest.

He hoped Mabel was alright.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My chapters are quite short, huh?


	7. Answers

Bill unceremoniously flopped himself on the porch’s steps. He cradled his forehead in frustration, gritting his lower lip until it started to bleed. The demon  turned his irritation to the wooden flooring in an attempt to calm himself down. He heard the door creak open and felt someone sit beside him.

“Go away. I might do something to you that I’ll regret later.” he warned the female twin without sparing her a glance, hoping that she would leave him alone. Bill felt the girl shake her head and instead rested a hand on his shoulder.

“I refuse to. Seeing you like this and all.” she said, not leaving room for argument. Bill buried his head on his gloved hands, sighing at Shooting Star’s stubbornness. They stayed quiet for a few moments, not wanting to disturb the silence.

After a minute or so, Bill started “What exactly happened?” Shooting Star tensed at the question but slowly relaxed. She started twirling her hair, finding the right words to say, still refusing to look the demon in the eye.

“Dipper went exploring. In the woods.” she uttered, somberly recalling the moment Dipper said goodbye to her. She looked at the demon seriously and added, “Something about a gift for you.”

Bill looked at her, surprised. A gift? Pine Tree was trying to get him a gift? “Wh-what kind of-?”

“I don’t know. He refused  to tell me... or let me tag along.” Shooting Star drew in a deep breath. “Then, at 7 in the evening, we received a call from McGucket’s son. He saw Dipper’s body floating near the shore.”

Eyes widening, Bill looked at her as she wiped tears that started trickling down her cheek. He tore his gaze away, horrified at the image of his Pine Tree floating on the lake, body limp and almost lifeless.

Shooting Star tried to calm her sobbing, “I-I thought h-he was dead. Th-That he was gone.”

“He can’t die that easily.” Bill reassured, intertwining his fingers. “Pine Tree was under my protection. My magic would have protected him from anything that can harm or hurt him.”

“B-But why did his memories van-”

“I don’t know!” Bill confessed truthfully. “But, before I came back, I felt something trying to break into my magic. As if wanting to...” he trailed of, musing to himself. Something- or SOMEONE tried to sabotage his magic, creating a small chink in the armour that he had surrounded the boy.

Shooting Star was waiting for him to finish what he was trying to say but it seems that he won’t be saying it to her anytime soon. He shook his head before muttering a ‘nothing’ to the girl.

“Well, if you don’t want to tell it right now, I understand.” she patted him in the back before standing herself up. “But if you want someone to confide in, you know where to find me.” Bill gave her a thankful smile but suddenly smirked at the brunette.

“You mean Blondie’s bedroom?” He chuckled when Shooting Star gave him a playful shove. She offered him a hand and he took it, carefully standing up. He hadn’t immediately let go of the girl’s hand but instead gave it a light squeeze. “Thanks...”

Shooting Star also gave his a light squeeze before letting go of the dream demon’s hand. As she was about to enter, the demon shot her one last question, “Shooting Star, why didn’t tell me? About Pine Tree?”

The older twin turned to look at him. Instead of an answer, Shooting Star dashed towards him and gave him a hug. The demon didn’t know what to do but decided to return the embrace. ‘”I’m sorry if I hadn’t told you.” she mumbled in his chest. “But I was overcome by fear. I don’t know how I could possibly say it to you. Especially during that time when I can’t even handle myself. And also... I think it’s best if Dipper figures this one out without me interfering too much.”

Bill nodded as he rested his chin in the crown of Mabel’s head. They both stayed like that for a few minutes until both of them pulled away, Bill giving her a small kiss on her head before completely letting go. “I understand.” he assured her.

The somewhat tranquil moment was broken by an obviously fake cough coming from doorway. They both turned to look at the source and found Dipper awkwardly standing there, clutching the door frame. He gave Mabel a look before turning his attention to Bill. Shooting Star was instantly on his side.

“What’s the matter, broseph?” she asked, worried for her brother. The younger twin just shook his head, still eyeing the demon cautiously.

“No, I’m fine. Just checking on you.”

“Well, Bill and I were just talking about... stuff.”

“Yeah, okay. But you better get inside now. It’s getting late.” he said, lightly pushing his twin inside. “Go to bed now.”

“B-But Bill-” she tried to protest before Dipper completely shoved her to her room. The young man then glanced at the demon who was still standing on the porch.

“Won’t you come in?” he asked, fidgeting on where he was standing. The demon nodded before going inside then locking the door. A few moments of silence passed before Dipper  asked, “So, where would you sleep? I’m guessing it’s with m-”

“On the couch.” he cut off, not waiting for Dipper to finish and instead made his way towards the living room and plopped himself on the old, battered couch.

“O-Okay.” the boy muttered before retreating back to his attic room but not before sparing a glance at the demon. “Good night, I guess...”

There was no reply.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short chappie! :D  
> I'm so sorry...


	8. Evasion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two updates in one day because why not???

The night’s events had led to Dipper staying up all night. He found himself tossing and turning, hoping sleep would claim him more sooner than later. After an hour of staring at the ceiling, he gave up and decided to do something more productive.

He remembered the old book in the drawer.

Dipper leaned on the bed, trying his hardest to reach for the drawer’s handle without standing up, lighting the lamp along the way. Successful at his task, the brunette grasped the hardbound book, sitting up so he could inspect it more.

The moment it was settled on his lap, a wave of nostalgia he hadn’t felt earlier that day hit him like a hurricane. Not knowing why, he decided to open and examine the contents of the book. He became excited as he saw topics about gnomes, the undead, the squash with human face and emotions; all in all, the supernatural.

Mabel always tells him that he loves investigating the supernatural. Judging by how he feels so giddy right now, maybe he really does. Scanning from page to page, the brunette saw hazy glimpses of memories that came along with the book. He felt like he had already knew what he was supposed to expect but at the same time, it all still feels new to him.

His fingers stopped as he reached the page about ‘Bill Cipher’, which was mysteriously splotched with dried, red liquid everywhere. He hoped it wasn’t what he thinks it is.

Dipper’s eyebrow just shot up as he read the name out loud. Bill Cipher? Isn’t that what Mabel and Stan called the blond guy currently sleeping on the couch? Fingers slightly twitching, he veered his attention back to the contents of the article.

“Beware Bill.” he read out loud, “The most powerful and dangerous creature I’ve ever encountered.” A gasp escaped from Dipper’s lips. If that man was dangerous then why- he decided to read more. “Whatever you do, never let him into your mind...”

Dipper’s confusion grew more and more. First, why is it a picture of a triangle instead of a 22- something-year old guy? Second, why is Stan and Mabel so friendly towards him? And third, Dipper read the next contents, spotting the words ‘Dream Demon’ as he went through. Are they currently housing a demon? Nah, that’s preposterous.

Which is considered normal in his life.

But what the guy showed earlier; the glowing eye, the reddening of skin and the glowing tattoos made him slightly worried.

Suddenly chuckling out of nowhere, Dipper shook his head in utter denial. Maybe it’s just a complete coincidence. Yeah, that’s right. He wasn’t even sure if everything in that book was true. He still finds it hard to believe the stories Mabel had told him. Shooingthe nagging worry that still lingered on his head, he tucked the journal under his pillow. “Grunkle Stan was right. I really need sleep.” he said, switching the lamp off.

It was yet another dreamless slumber.

+++

Waking up to the sound of frantic footsteps from downstairs, Dipper got up and immediately did his morning routine. It wasn’t like he was excited in working at the tourist trap, he just doesn’t want to piss his great uncle for being late. Well, it’s not like he’s afraid of him, just intimidated.

After 30 minutes or so, he descended the stairs and quickly made his way to the kitchen part of the house only to spot his twin and Bill huddled closely to each other, talking in hushed tones. He raised an eyebrow at their proximity and broke their conversation by clearing his throat.

The two quickly turned around, eyes wide and mouths slightly agape. Mabel nudge Bill a little too obviously before mouthing him a ‘Why didn’t you tell me he’s already here?’ to the blond man who only responded with a ‘Have you forgotten? I had my powers sealed.’

Dipper raised an eyebrow (if it could possibly get any higher) at both of them before he started, “You guys are perfectly aware that I can lip read, right?” He sauntered towards the dining table and plopped on one of the chairs, the one facing Mabel and Bill.

“Bro- bro!” Mabel squealed which sounded quite forced to Dipper’s ears. “Good Morning! You’re up awfully early again today!” Dipper didn’t miss it when she nudged Bill to sit on the table, the other giving her a glare before sitting down on the one on Dipper’s right.

The brunette greeted him with a small smile but the blond refused to look his way. Instead, he fiddled with the silverware that was already laid out in front of him and acted as if Dipper wasn’t even there. Deflated with the silent treatment, Dipper turned his attention to his sister who was cooking their breakfast.

“Hey Mabes, what’s for breakfast?” he asked, trying to act casual while stealing glances at the man beside him. The older twin turned his attention to him and waved the spatula in the air.

“Bacon and eggs, brub-brub!” she exclaimed cheerfully. Deeming that the food was cooked, she brought the pan near the table and scooped the contents on the four plates. Both men mumbled a ‘thanks’ as they got their share. “Okay, where’s Waddles?” she asked to the both of them, more to Bill than to her twin. The man just pointed outside to the direction of the forest.

“Saw him near the edge of the woods just a while ago.” he nonchalantly said as he dug on his meal. Dipper followed suit, enjoying the savory taste of the bacon.

Mabel let out a horrified scream as she scampered towards the doorway. “Bill! You idiot, why’d you let him?” she shouted just before she was out of earshot, her twin wincing at the volume of her voice.

“That atta wake up everyone in town.” Dipper commented offhandedly, earning a snort from the man beside him. Surprise was plastered all over his face the moment the other reacted.

“You’re not wrong about that.” he mumbled as he shoved another mouthful of eggs. Bill chuckled as they heard another round of screaming from Mabel. “Shooting Star sure is persistent.”

Stuttering at his words, Dipper managed to create a coherent sentence. “Y-Yeah. S-She really loves that pig so much.”

“Well, that pig is like her other twin. Are you sure there’s only the two of you?” he snickered as Dipper’s face scrunched up in disapproval for having a pig as a brother by blood.

“Yeah. I’m pretty sure. I might have lost my memories but I’m pretty sure.” he said, finishing off his breakfast. If he wasn’t too busy downing his orange juice, he might have seen Bill’ face contort in sadness but it was quickly gone as it came. Bill smiled at him and Dipper decided to bring the topic of last night.

“Uhm, dude, about last night...” he trailed of, trying to find the right words. He expectantly looked at the blond, wondering what his reaction would be. What instead greeted him was a look of pure ignorance.

“What do you mean? There’s nothing important that happened last night, right?” he said, munching the last of his eggs. The look of obliviousness was almost the reason why Dipper almost believed him. Almost. Yet, he was 100% sure of the events that transpired last night.

“You know, about the whole...” he cleared his throat, “...amnesia thing?”

Bill shook his head in denial. “I’m sorry, Pine Tree but I have no idea what you are talking about.” he said solemnly, yet a too wide grin was plastered on his face.

Dipper tried to form out another protest but the man with him abruptly stood up and collected all his dishes. “If I were you, I would hurry up now before Stanford wakes up and starts barking orders.” He glanced up the wall clock on the kitchen. “The shack’s almost opening too.” he said, winking (well, he’s not really sure since the other was obscured by an eye patch) and left the room.

Sighing, Dipper grabbed his own dishes and placed them on the sink. If Bill doesn’t want to talk about it, then so be it.

He could always ask Mabel.

+++

Bill hated himself.

He hated the way he had treated his Pine Tree. Why does he have to be an asshole again? And evading the issue? He himself doesn’t know what kind of entity had possessed him (he doubts that possible) to do such thing.

“Wow, Cipher. That was a fucking _brilliant_ thing you did. You are so fucking _smart_. _You’re a genius_!” he sarcastically mumbled to himself, still condemning his behavior which was utterly stupid and childish.

And unfair.

Damn, he really hated himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Actually I'm updating twice because I know my chapters are short, ahaha *sweats*
> 
> Oh yeah, do you think I should add like a smut scene? Thumbs up? Thumbs down? Cause I swear I don't know how to porn :/


	9. About Triangles and Demons and Redheads

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the second update for today!

Nothing much happened that day. They opened the shack, a few tourist came and went and he had seen in personal the expertise of his sister  (even if she’s quite disappointed about hearing that the man named ‘Soos’ won’t be able to pay a visit) when it comes to conning people.

He mused that she had learned from their great uncle who Mabel likes to call the “Best Conman related to them”.

Dipper was sweeping the floor when the door suddenly opened. He wondered who would still enter when the ‘CLOSED’ sign was clearly plastered on the shack’s doors. He irritatedly grumbled under his breath. Why is it hard for some tourist to understand the concept of a shop’s opening and closing time?

“I’m sorry but the Mystery Shack is close-” he was cut off when the person who just entered tackled-hug him.

“Dipper!” the woman squealed as she tightened her grip on him. After completely registering what was currently happening, Dipper squirmed under the woman’s embrace in a small attempt to break the contact. The woman, who had caught on his distress signal, pulled away. “Dipper, it’s so nice to see you again! How are you?”

Noticing that the woman was still holding his hands, Dipper’s face flushed in a bright shade of red that was obvious even from afar. He stuttered at his words, overwhelmed by the redhead in front of him. “I-I’m sorry but do I know you?” he nervously asked. The woman’s face fell at his question but was quickly replaced with a motherly understanding.

“You really don’t remember me, huh?” she sighed and let go of his hands. Panic started building up in Dipper’s chest. He had the urge to not disappoint the woman. The redhead smiled warmly at him, ruffling his hair under his hat. “It’s okay Dippin’ Sauce.” The woman shifted to a more relaxed manner. Gosh, she looked so cool and mature. “The name’s Wendy. Nice to meet you again, Dip Dop.”

She extended her hand to him and Dipper took it, but instead of a shake, he was pulled into another hug. Relaxing into the hold, Dipper returned the embrace. They stayed like that for a few moments before Wendy pulled away. “Pleased to meet you again, Wendy.” he said with a smile. He felt somewhat at ease with the woman.

“So, how have you been? Any memories returning and whatnot?” she asked, picking the broom on the floor and handing it back to Dipper, who in turn accepted it with a small smile, a blush still adorning his face.

“Nothin’ really. It’s starting to get frustrating. You know...”

“Sorry but I don’t.” They both started to chuckle. After finishing his chores, Wendy and Dipper went out to the porch and sat there, telling stories to each other. Well, more on Wendy’s part.

“Did I really do that?” His face grimaced as he tried to imagine what Wendy was telling him. Damn, he feels so immature now that he hears it from someone older than him. His palm met his face as he visualized himself.

“Yeah dude, it was hilarious! I know I was hurt that time, but remembering Robbie’s face now, it was pretty funny.” she snickered, recalling the memory at the Look Out Point. “Then after that, you tried asking me out.”

Dipper sputtered at what he heard. He tried asking Wendy out? His face turned to a deep shade of red as he tried to process everything the redhead had told him. “W-Wait, I tried to ask you out?” he asked, his blush getting redder and redder by the minute.

“Yeah, Dip Dop. You used to have this big crush on me. One time you confessed, it was to a shape shifter who turned into looking like me instead of me. Ya’ get what I’m saying? And awkward moments happen, I heard it pretty clearly since I was behind you that time.”

Rubbing his hand on his nape, Dipper looked away. No wonder he felt somewhat elated being with her. “So what was your answer that time?”

“Well, after we froze that creature, I kinda...” she trailed off, not knowing what words to use.

“Dumped me?” he continued, somewhat crestfallen. He used to like this woman and now, he’s pretty sure he still liked her.

“Yeah, for the lack of better word. I mean, I’m too old for you so I kinda have to. It’d be awkward, ya know?” she breathed. “But we still were good friends after that.”

Dipper smiled. He understands why Wendy had to let him down. But right now, he just wanted to know about the redhead more. “So... Wendy...” he started.

“Yeah?”

“Maybe I did confess to you that time and maybe it was pretty awkward but, maybe we could... you know?” To Dipper, it seems nice to hang out with people you genuinely like. And who you used to hang out a lot. But it also seems like Wendy got the wrong idea.

Wendy gaped at him, like a bomb was right in front of her instead of Dipper. Her eyes were as wide as saucers and her mouth went ajar. Apologetically smiling, Wendy placed a hand on his shoulder. “Dude, listen, I’m sorry, but I can’t. I know I said that I’m single but...” she looked at the pine trees in the edge of the forest “...he might not like it.”

“No- No not like that! Just hang out! Like what friends do!” Dipper sputtered to the redhead beside him, who in turn just mouthed an ‘Oh’. Remembering Wendy’s last statement, he asked again “But who wouldn’t like it?”

“You forgot about that one too, huh?” she smiled sadly.

“Forgot what?”

As Wendy was about to answer, Bill emerged from the forest, twigs and leaves on his hair. The man let out  curses under his breath in a language Dipper couldn’t understand, focused on trying to get rid of the things stuck in his golden locks. Bill was startled when he saw the pair on the porch. He smiled brightly at them, turning his attention more to the redhead beside Dipper.

“Red! I didn’t know you were coming!” he cheerily greeted as he approached Wendy. Said woman stood up and offered a fist to Bill. Bill eyed it skeptically. “What is that for?”

Wendy laughed at Bill’s reaction. “Dude, it’s a fist bump!” she grabbed Bill’s hand, curled it into a fist and bumped them. Bill still looked vexed.

"I still see no sense the purpose of that...” he said as he retrieved his hand.

Still chuckling, Wendy patted Bill on the back. “It’s like a hand shake, for greeting but more informal.”

“You meatsacks and your formality issues.” Bill turned his attention to Dipper, who was watching their exchange closely. “Why, Pine Tree, you don’t want to have flies for dinner, right? Close ‘em up, buttercup!” he jested, Wendy snickering with him.

Dipper flushed as he hastily closed his mouth. He glared at the the man in front of him, who was still laughing his ass off.

“C’mon dude, don’t tease him.” Wendy chuckled. To Dipper, it was not helping.

“I’m a demon, Red. I listen to no one.”

“Yeah, fine. You’re the demon.”

Their laughter ceased as Dipper hastily jerked up. His face slowly shifted to pure terror and fear. He startled Wendy when he pulled her towards him, away from the demon. “So it was true!” he almost yelled at Bill.

“Wait, Dipper, what?” Wendy exclaimed as she broke her hand free from Dipper’s hold.

“Th-That journal! You were the one in that journal! You’re Bill Cipher! You’re that demon!” he accused, pointing a finger to Bill’s general direction. “Why are you not  triangle? You’re supposed to be a triangle!” Dipper was almost hyperventilating. Wendy tried to calm him down by using a breathing exercise that Mabel uses every time this happens to him.

“Dipper, dude, calm down” she soothed him. “Here, follow me. Inhale...” she heaved in a deep breath, Dipper following suit. “Exhale...”  They did the exercise until Dipper’s breathing was slowly returning to normal.

Bill, who was still taken aback by the sudden outburst of the other, stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to do. He’s worried for his lover (former lover, whatever, he doesn't know) but the boy obviously doesn't want him close.

When Dipper was calm enough, he turned to Bill again. “I figured that you were not a normal human, but a demon?” he stood in front of Wendy. “What do you want in our family?”

Instead of giving the boy a reassuring answer, Bill gave him a crooked grin that scared the shit out of Dipper. He spread his arms wide, as if showing how intimidating he can be. “What I want in your family?” his grin turned malicious, threatening. “You know what I want in your family!”

Dipper’s face contorted in alarm as realization struck him. “Mabel?!” he mumbled warily. He turned to glare at the demon, his overprotective brother instinct heightening. He cannot let this monster take his sister away.

But instead of confirmation, the demon’s face turned  into something akin to disgust. Bill made a gagging gesture and Dipper was unsure about what it meant. Wendy, on the other hand, started chuckling.

“Wha- What? What’s so funny, Wendy?” he asked the redhead, confused and worried.

“Nothing.” she said in between chuckles, wiping a tear from her eye. She then stepped in front of Dipper and strode towards the demon. Dipper almost yelled an indignant warning to her. “It’s alright Dip.” she assured, lightly punching the demon on the arm. Bill just exclaimed an ‘Ow’ before nursing his assaulted arm. “He’s alright.”

“B-But-”

“Look, kid.” Bill called his attention which was quite successful. “There’s no way I would think of Shooting Star like that.” he shook his head in disappointment. “Plus, she got her eyes set on Blondie.”

“Blondie?” Dipper repeated and instantly remembered Pacifica. It never occurred to him that his twin would like girls since she’s always so ‘Boy Crazy’ when around him. Dipper slowly nodded. “Okay, whatever, but why are you here? Staying with us, befriending almost everyone... The journal said you’re dangerous!”

“I am...” he confirmed and Dipper’s defenses heightened once more, “To my enemies, that is.” Bill gave him a playful wink. “And as much as I hate to admit it, this family is on my good side.”

“Yeah Dip. This guy won’t hurt us. He might be a demon but yeah, he won’t.” she turned to Bill. “Right, Bill?”

Bill raised an eyebrow at Wendy. “Yeah, yeah, I won’t hurt everyone here yadda, yadda. Whatever you say.” he huffed and looked away. Dipper was surprised on how childish Bill was acting.

“So...” Wendy trailed off. “I’m gonna leave you two lovebirds alone now. Gotta greet Stan and Mabel.” She gave a playful wink at Bill who just narrowed his eyes at her and walked past Dipper, whose face scrunched at what Wendy called them, ruffling his hair along.

When she was out of their vision, Dipper turned to the demon. “A demon, huh? Why didn’t you tell me?!”

Bill rolled his eye at him, “What would it change?” he huffed.

“Uhm, everything?!” Dipper exclaimed. He paced back and forth, the demon’s eye following his movements. “What are you playing at?”

“Nothing. The old man sealed my powers, I can’t get to anyone’s noggin, can’t summon any flames to burn this thing-” he gestured to the shack, “-down... So basically nothing”

“You’re supposed to be a triangle.”

“Thank you, Mr. Obvious, for pointing that out.” he dusted a nonexistent soot off his jeans “But I am in this human shell right now, trapped. No thanks to Stan, of course.”

Opening his mouth to ask more, Dipper was cut off when Bill raised a hand to his face. “I enjoy this interview Pine Tree, really, but I’m not the type of demon who are fond of kids asking too much questions.” He walked past Dipper, their shoulders brushing along sending shivers down Dipper’s spine, and entered the shack.

Dipper felt his face flush.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To those people who kept on commenting on every chapter, please know that you are all lovely people.
> 
> Also, a funny thing happened! So I was in the bus and thinking for possible endings and I actually fudging thought of one and it took all my self-control to not pump my fist in the air and probably hit the guy sitting beside me haha


	10. Sketches

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mabel leaves Dipper and Bill alone together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I watched A Tale of Two Stans Iamcrying

A week had passed since the twins’ arrival at the shack. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened since then. Well, if you consider a bunch of gnomes attacking your house at night just to steal some pie your sister had made normal, then yes, everything was normal.

And Dipper’s memories were starting to slowly return, much to everyone’s delight.

The twins had been sitting in front of the T.V. for the whole day with their resident dream demon watching a marathon of ‘Duck-tective’. Stan had left earlier to buy some supplies on the next town, deciding to close the shack for the day.

“It was the parrot, I’m positive.” Dipper spoke as he grabbed a handful of chips from the bowl nestled on Bill’s lap. His twin snorted at him as she slapped his hand and taking the chips that Dipper unintentionally dropped. “Mabel!”

“C’mon, it couldn’t be the parrot! Look at how innocent he is!” she defended, gesturing to the T.V. after shoving the chips on her mouth. “Nothing innocent-looking could be a murderer!”

“That, Shooting Star, is one thing I couldn’t agree with.” Bill spoke up, his eyes still glued to the T.V.. Dipper nodded in approval while Mabel only blew a raspberry at them.

“So you’re both saying that I’m capable of murder?” she said, feigning offense.

Both men nodded in unison, resulting in Mabel shoving them, well, shoved Bill. Dipper just got caught.

“You were right, Duck-tective!” the T.V. blared which called their attention back to it. “It was indeed the parrot!” Dipper cheered in victory, pumping his arms in the air while his twin just gave a defeated sigh. She grabbed all the chips in the bowl just to spite both men.

“Aw! C’mon Mabel! We want to eat too!” Dipper huffed, crossing his arms in annoyance. “Next time I’m getting chips, I won’t share it with you.”

“That’s one thing you’re never gonna do.” Mabel chirped, grabbing the bowl and standing up. “Welp, I’m going out with the girls. You two gonna be okay here?” she went to the kitchen and placed the bowl on the sink, and immediately returned to them.

Dipper nodded, seeing that there was nothing wrong with it but Bill, on the other hand, seemed to be bothered. Actually the whole week has been like that with the two of them. Bill refuses to be alone with Dipper. “Uh, Shooting Star? Can I come with you?” he cautiously asked, pleading at the older twin silently.

Mabel shook her head firmly. “You can’t Bill. Who would look out for Dipper?”

“I’m not a child!” Dipper interjected, annoyed at how they were treating him.

“I know, Dipper. But your migraine might return without anyone here. You need someone to at least look out for you.” she rubbed her chin, thinking of another solution. “What if... you come with us? Bill could stay here and watch the house.”

Both Bill and Dipper’s face scrunched in disapproval. “I see no fun in that, Shooting Star. Who would even consider this establishment as eye candy?” Bill commented as he examined the house. “It’s old and dirty.”

Dipper gaped at the man beside him, appalled. The demon really does take things literally. He shook his head and said to Mabel, “No way Mabes. After last time?” he shivered at the thought.

Mabel rolled her eyes and turned to Bill. “Not like that, Bill. What I mean is- you know what? You two stay here.” she deadpanned as she went to her room, grabbed her purse and left the house, leaving two men er- a man and a demon to stare dumbly at the door.

Dipper shrugged as he returned his attention to the show they were watching. He noticed that the demon beside him was tense, in fact, frozen at his place. Placing a hand on the other’s shoulder, Dipper asked Bill if he was alright. The answer he got was the frantic shove of his hand from the shoulder.

He warily looked at Bill. He was flustered and... blushing? Was Bill blushing? Why would Bill be blushing? He was snapped out from his trance when Bill abruptly stood up. “Don’t ever do that again.” he warned before leaving a very confused Dipper alone in the room.

+++

Back in his attic room, Dipper was reading the journal’s contents word per word. Since Bill obviously doesn’t want his company, he had decided to hole himself in his room.

The journal fascinates him. With its weird entries and odd creatures, it makes him want to go to the forest by himself and find out if these creatures really did exist. The gnomes were real so probably the other creatures too. His eyes widened at the idea. Maybe he could go to the woods and see these creatures with his own two eyes. Yeah, maybe he could do that.

As he was about to snatch his hoodie from his bed, he remembered the accident that cost him his memories. Didn’t Mabel said that he lost it while he was exploring the woods? And speaking of Mabel, should he really make her worried again?

Glancing at the journal, Dipper was weighing the pros and cons of him exploring. Pros: He’ll probably see the creatures and magical artifacts written in the journal. Cons: Mabel would hate him and this time, if ever he might get into trouble, he might not be too lucky.

Dipper sat on his bed, thinking things thoroughly. He subconsciously grabbed the papers tucked behind the journal and was about to fold them into paper triangles when he noticed that there were some things written on it.

He straightened the paper and what he saw surprised him. The things on the paper were not written words.

They were sketches. Sketches of Bill.

He inspected the other papers. All of them contain Bill’s human form in complete detail. Dipper examined the drawings closely. Whoever drew those, he got all the good sides. A small smile slowly crept to his face while looking at the sketches fondly.

The first drawing was of Bill watching the setting sun. He traced the lines of the sketches as if redrawing it again. Bill looked very at peace in the drawing, like he was not a thousand year old demon. It made Dipper smile and feel a warm feeling pooling in his chest.

He took another one and saw Bill’s sleeping face, head nestled on his arms. He chuckled at how the demon looked like a kid. A really, really tired kid after a day of doing nothing but playing.

The last one he picked made him blush a deep shade of red. It was a drawing, not just any drawing, but a drawing of a half-naked Bill holding an ax on one hand while the other hand was treading on his hair. His eyes scrutinized every detailed contour of the demon’s body; slightly lean arms, not too noticeable abs but still abs nonetheless, and the v-line. Bill has a fucking v-line.

Dipper’s face flushed redder. He hadn’t expected the demon’s body to look something like this. It looks far too- for the lack of better word- hot. Bill always seemed too tall and lanky, not- not this!

That was it. Dipper piled all of the drawings and shoved them in the bottom part of the drawer. Whoever drew those, he’s gonna help them hide it. He could already feel the secondhand embarrassment flow through him. Bill must not find those drawings.

And he hoped Bill still hadn’t seen those drawings.

Grabbing his hoodie, he decided to go into the woods for an intake of fresh air. Damn all rational thoughts. After what he saw, he doubts he’ll be comfortable around Bill for the rest of the day. Dipper’s pretty sure all his thoughts would just wander to Bill’s-

Okay, that’s enough. He silently sneaked his way around the house to the front porch. He hoped Bill was too busy doing whatever he was doing to notice him being gone. When he saw the edge of the forest, he made a mad dash towards it, slinking in the shadows to hide from whatever being that could stop him from exploring its secrets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To those who left kudos after reading, please know that you are amazing people...


	11. Whiffling Through the Tulgey Wood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter's title is from a line in Lewis Carroll's poem "Jabberwocky"  
> I love that poem...  
> Slight gore warning haha

After a few minutes, Dipper found himself in the middle of a wide clearing. Eyes scanning the vicinity, a soft gasp left his lips as he wandered in awe. The forest is amazing.

It is exciting.

Dipper’s grin widened as a feeling of restlessness suddenly surged through his very being. These woods definitely holds secrets worth uncovering, creatures worth unraveling. He opened the journal to a page he had been pondering awhile ago. They’re about the gnomes of the forest that are found in the mossy, fungi filled parts of the woods.

They might not seem as exciting as much especially when all they did was steal Mabel’s pie, but in his opinion, he should start with something small (pun very much intended). His eyes wandered to the bottom part of the page where the gnomes’ weaknesses are written.

“Leaf blowers, huh?” he muttered, trekking through the woods with ease without looking up. Dipper ducked low enough to avoid the thick branch he saw from the corner of his eyes. Chuckling slightly because of his ability that he must have obtained before he lost his memories, Dipper glanced at the glowing rocks that had slowly started appearing, indicating that he was nearing his destination.

His pace quickened as overgrown mushrooms had also started emerging, adorning the now glowing forest floor. The awestruck boy gave a low whistle. His eye twitched slightly as a hazy memory played in his mind. A tied Mabel being forced to marry all approximately 1,000 gnomes? What? He shook his head slightly as if clearing his thoughts, trying to remember things clearly.

He remembered driving the golf cart recklessly as Mabel punched a gnome in the face. They were chased... Chased by a giant transformer-esque gnome army bent on taking his sister’s hand for marriage.

Dipper sighed audibly. Yes, the memory might be quite eccentric, even to Dipper. But if you’re currently housing a demon who had morality issues and phone problems then it might not sound too strange for you anymore.

Recalling such memory, maybe exploring the gnomes were not really a good idea and he should probably back out now before another life- changing thing happen to him again. Turning around, Dipper yelped as a tiny being was suddenly in front of him, hands on his hips and a single eyebrow raised.

“Well, well, Dipper Pines.” the gnome (Jack if he recalls correctly through the pie stealing incident) strode forward as he eyed the boy cautiously. “Preventing me from marrying your sister then fooling me into marrying a psychopathic child and just recently, stopping me from acquiring an apple pie that would definitely make us all happy, what brings you here?”

“Jack” Dipper said, eyeing the gnome in front of him. The creature slightly winced.

“Actually, it’s Jeff.” Jeff corrected as his face contorted from offense to glee in mere seconds. Dipper nodded slightly as he tried repeating Jeff’s name in his brain again and again, making sure he won’t forget it. He crouched down to look at the creature more closely, brows furrowing in concentration. Jeff took a step back due to the boy’s scrutiny. “Yeesh! What are you doing?”

“Fascinating” the brunette muttered, glancing at his journal then back to Jeff. He snatched Jeff’s hat to inspect it, earning a protest and losing the hat that was in his hands as it was snatched back.

“Hey! I might have tried to steal your pie but that doesn’t give you the right to steal my hat!” he yelled at the surprised brunette. Jeff adjusted his hat back to his head and gave a huff.

“So, why a leaf blower?” he asked suddenly, making the small creature turn to look at him, confused.

“What? Leaf blower?”

“You know, your weakness?” Dipper asked, a sheepish grin plastered on his face. Of all the odd things that could be considered a weakness, a leaf blower would be categorized as one of the least likely. Maybe because they’re small.

“What? You don’t remember?” Jeff scoffed at the now taller brunette in front of him. “You and your sister were the ones who got me sucked in by that monstrosity and, I don’t know, used me as a gnome bullet!” When Dipper gave him a vexed look, Jeff eyed him cautiously, scanning from head tot toe. “You okay, kid?”

“I’m sorry, I don’t-” Whatever Dipper wanted to say was cut off when a loud bellowing pierced throughout the woods. Both of them watched the birds startlingly fly away to safety, other woodland creatures hurrying away from the source. Jeff, now looking alarmed, frantically scurried away to safety, running in all fours.

“You’re on your own now, kid!” he yelled at the panicking Dipper. “If I were you I’d find a safe place to hide!”

Mind racing, Dipper forced both his feet to move towards the end of the forest. Whatever creature is out there that was making the other inhabitants of this forest terrified, he doesn’t want to meet or even get a glimpse of it. It might be something dangerous. Losing his memories were enough, he doesn’t need to lose his life too.

The growling grew louder and louder, as if the beast itself was right on his heels. He ducked under an overgrown bush, thick enough to conceal his entire body. Heart beating faster, Dipper squeezed his eyes shut, feeling the monster’s presence near where he is.

Then he heard a growl that sounded more like a triumphant chuckle.   

+++

Something felt _wrong._

Bill looked up from the book he was reading as a sense of dread settled in his stomach. Despite not having his powers, Bill could tell when the creatures of the forest become agitated. He abruptly stood up, letting the book fall to the floor.

“Pine Tree?” he called out, climbing the stairs up to the brunette’s room. Hearing no reply, he called again, “Dipper?!” When he’s positive that the boy wasn’t going to answer anytime soon, he hastily opened the door of the attic room. There was no boy found in sight.

Bill raked a hand through his golden locks. Dipper left again. He left him again. The demon felt a tightening in his chest as worry and fear crept through his every being. Where could the boy be?

The woods. He could only be in the woods.

Without much thought, Bill made a beeline down the stairs and towards the door, opening it aggressively and dashing towards the direction of the forest. He had no idea how to find Dipper and blindly running through the woods wasn’t such a good idea. But he had no other choice.

“DIPPER!” he yelled at the top of his lungs, hoping that the boy could hear him. “DIPPER!” He dashed deeper, hoping he would be able to find the boy as soon as possible, safe and unscathed.

A scream reverberated throughout the woods and Bill’s worry heightened. He sprinted towards the source of the scream, not minding the overhanging branches that obstructed his path. His face could be covered in scrapes for all he cared. What’s important now is he reach his Pine Tree and save him from whatever creature is bent on having him as snack.

Bill immediately spotted the 8-foot tall werewolf snarling to a paralyzed figure lying in the forest floor. Bill wondered what kind of werewolf would be out in this hour. Either it’s really hungry or foolishly brave. Snapping out of his musings, Bill hurled himself to the beast’s body, causing both of them to roll above fallen leaves and twigs.

“Argh!” the werewolf growled in frustration. Even with sealed powers and the horribly huge monster thrice as big as his body underneath him, Bill still had his absurdly inhuman strength left.  He clenched his hands around the beast’s neck, attempting to crush its throat and if possible, leave it dead.

“How dare you...” Bill seethed, hands tightening more on the wolf’s neck. “You’re that brave, aren’t you?” His body slowly started to turn red due to anger. The werewolf underneath him squirmed, trying to steel himself free from the demon’s hold.

“C-Cipher” the werewolf said through gritted teeth. “Y-You do not o-own these woods-” He was cut off when Bill tightened his hand, crushing the bones underneath the fur and skin. The wolf gave out an agonized shriek before going limp, eyes white and lifeless.

“YES, I DO!” he screeched to the now dead werewolf. “I OWN THESE WOODS! I OWN THIS TOWN”! He stood up from the corpse, lifting a foot to its head and crushing it, the creature’s eyes and brain squelching under him, covering his lower leg with blood and bits of the soft organ. “And I own this boy.” he said in an almost inaudible whisper.

When he turned to Dipper, the boy was covering his mouth, steadying himself while trying his best not to gag at the sight before him. Bill removed his foot from the werewolf’s skull and slowly trudged towards the shaken boy, a deep scowl plastered on his face. Dipper took a step back away from him, afraid that he would end with the same fate like the beast’s.

“WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?!” Bill boomed when he was mere meters away from Dipper. If his body was red before, it became even redder now and the sclera of his visible eye turned to black, only fueling Dipper’s fear. Bill paced back and forth, gathering his thoughts and easing his shaken nerves. He whipped his head to look at Dipper again. “ARE YOU AN IDIOT?! I COULD HAVE LOST Y-” he slapped a hand on his mouth, cutting his own words.

“I-I’m-” Dipper stammered, still frozen in place. He turned his head on the side, refusing to look at the enraged demon. Bill pinched the bridge of his nose, moments passing before he had fully calmed down.    

“Are you alright?” Bill asked softly, not wanting to scare him more. He reached his hand to cup the boy’s cheek when Dipper flinched away. His gaze softened more and tried to ease Dipper’s frantic nerves by gently touching his cheek. “Hey...” he started, “Don’t be scared... I won’t hurt you” His Pine Tee cracked an eye open to look at the scraped face of the demon. Dipper’s eyes tried to look at his sullied feet but Bill held the boy’s head, firm yet gentle, to prevent him from doing so. “Don’t.”

“How- How would I know you won’t hurt me?” Dipper squeaked, looking anywhere but the dream demon’s eye and foot. His eyes landed on the werewolf’s remains, making him shut his eyes. “I-I don’t want to die. Please don’t hurt me.”

Bill’s face contorted in sadness and his chest felt like it was going to close in on him. Dipper is afraid of him. _His_ Pine Tree is afraid of him. They’re back to square one.

To assure the boy that he won’t inflict any harm, Bill’s only reply was to pull Dipper into a tight embrace. The other gave a small yelp as his face collided with Bill’s chest. Hold tightening, Bill buried his face on Dipper’s brown locks, inhaling the boy’s warm and familiar scent. He missed this so much.

He could feel Pine Tree’s uneasiness, but he did not dare let go. He almost lost Dipper. One second too late and he’s sure he’ll lose Dipper. His mind cannot fathom the idea of losing the boy he loved so much.

When he finally pulled away, he didn’t look at Dipper’s face. Instead, he turned on his heels, grabbed Dipper’s hand and trudged to the direction of the shack. Uncomfortable silence settled between the two of them until Bill broke it. “I promise not to tell Shooting Star or Stan only if you won’t try that stunt again.” he muttered. He heard Pine Tree mumble a small ‘Thanks’ and he nodded in reply, not even glancing at the boy.

Too bad, though. If he did, he could have seen Dipper’s blush.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To those who gave kudos and comments, please know that you are the reason why I suddenly smile in public :D


	12. Self- Control

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Bill is super touchy-feely here like... he's not used to not hugging Dip Dop

Bill clicked his tongue when they both reached the shack. He had left the door ajar, a welcoming opportunity for thieves and ill-intent fueled beings. Oh, Stan would be pissed if he finds out about this. Not that he needs to know. Relief surged through him as he saw the shack empty of human existence, Stan and Shooting Star still hadn’t returned home.

Leading themselves to the porch, Bill felt Dipper’s hand getting sweatier and sweatier by the minute. He let go of the boy’s hand, not because it was sweaty, but because he doesn’t want his Pine Tree feeling uneasy around him.

“I’m sorry. My hands are kinda... sweaty.” Dipper apologized, wiping his sweaty palms on his jeans. “Just nervous because of those... things. I’m not really a fan of gore.” Bill turned to Dipper, seeing the boy distraught and embarrassed. Oh no. No, no, no, no. His face turned to horror as he realized that his Pine Tree misunderstood.

“N-No! It’s not like that!” Bill stumbled on his words, waving both his gloved hands in front of Dipper’s face. Not wanting his Pine Tree to get self-conscious and possibly degrade his outer appearance and... sweating problems, Bill grabbed both hands that Dipper was still wiping on his jeans. “Stop...” he sternly yet gently told the boy. “Don’t even think of whatever you are thinking right now.”

“Wh-What? I-I’m not- I mean-”

“I know you, Pine Tree!” he cut off. “One off-handed comment, one eye roll and you’ll start worrying!” Bill brought the hand to his cheek and nuzzled it. “Stop it...” When Bill opened his eyes, he noticed the tinge of pink adorning the boy’s cheek. His heart fluttered at the sight. It was a good sign. They had made improvements. Probably.

Then his eyes landed to Dipper’s chapped lips. Oh how he want to feel those lips on his again.

But he can’t. He couldn’t. He shouldn’t. He must control himself.

Bill stopped himself from whatever his body wanted him to do and moved away from Dipper. He raked a hand through his hair, and turned his back on the other. “I’m going to take a shower now. They would get suspicious if they see me covered in blood.” he muttered before starting for the bathroom.

“Uhm- Wait!” Dipper called out but Bill was already out of earshot.

Oh well, guess he just have to prepare the first aid kit.

+++

After showering, Bill haphazardly wiped his face with the towel on his hand, not minding the sting it causes. He grimaced when  he gazed at his reflection on the mirror, eyes squinting in utter annoyance. Man, Shooting Star will definitely interrogate him about this. He still has to come up with some bullshit excuse to tell her.

He opened the medicine cabinet for some band-aids, not even minding to swab some disinfectant on the grazes on his face. Hands rummaging the cabinet, Bill grimaced when he found not even a single one.

“Stan should really stock his medicine supplies...” he muttered, closing the door of the medicine cabinet and hurrying out of the bathroom. He made his way towards the attic room he and Dipper used to share and opened the closet to retrieve some clothes. “And I should really have a room of my own.” he sighed. Not sharing the room with Dipper anymore had led him to claim the old couch as his own bed. It’s not really comfortable in the demon’s opinion, but what can he do? Stan is a selfish, indifferent and greedy piece of shit.

Bill returned to the bathroom and put on his clothes. After a while, he finally came out. It took all that time just to cover his face in concealer to hide the scrapes. It could lead to infection, sure, but that doesn’t really matter. He is an immortal demon and he won’t be killed by a measly thing.

When Bill reached the living room he found a jittery Dipper in the sofa, a first aid kit in hand. The boy met his gaze and his nervous expression turned into a grimace.

“Wha-? Where are the scrapes on your face?” he asked, jogging towards the dream demon. His Pine tree inspected his face carefully and scowled more. “Are you using a concealer?” He wiped a hand on Bill’s face, the other blushing at the contact, smudging the make up with one swift motion. Dipper’s eyes widened and he immediately retrieved a face towel to wipe the remaining concealer off.

Bill was paralyzed in place. This was the first time, ever since Dipper met him again, that the boy had shown so much concern for him. It was also the first time the boy had willingly touched him for too long. It made Bill’s chest tighten.

The time Dipper reached for his eye patch was also the time Bill snapped out of his daze and stopped the brunette’s hand. Startled, the boy looked up to the demon, eyes brimming with curiosity.

“You can’t.” he sternly said, trying to avoid eye contact with his Pine Tree. Dipper just rolled his eyes and snatched the eye patch, the demon a second slower to react. Bill should be angry, he really should be. No normal meatsack could just disobey him and leave unscathed. Except Dipper. Dipper wasn’t normal.

He was _special_ to Bill.

Dipper’s eyes widened in surprise which scared the dream demon to death. He hurried to cover his eye with a single gloved hand while trying to quell the anger bubbling in his chest.

“Why are you hiding it?” Dipper asked, amazement lacing his voice. Bill looked at him with incredulity.

“What do you mean? Can’t you see? It’s freaky by human standards! And I’m supposed to be acting like you meatsacks!”

“No, it’s not!” Dipper retorted. He grasped Bill’s wrist to remove the hand covering the eye. Bill decided to just let Dipper be since he could really be stubborn.

Bill’s other eye, the one that was usually covered, looked breathtaking. Dark blue and gold laced together in his sclera while smaller specks of gold were scattered all around, forming a small, elongated circle and making the eye look like a galaxy visible in the cold, soothing dawn when the sun still hadn’t peeked.

Dipper inspected the other eye. It was a bright amber, gold hue emanating from it and looked more like a warm flame on a cold winter night. Dipper’s smile widened as he inspected Bill’s face with both his eyes seen. He blushed slightly at the sight before him. 

“It’s not freaky” he assured Bill, hands returning to completely wiping the concealer off of his face. “It’s beautiful. Amazing, cool... “ His eyes widened in curiosity “Can it see? I mean- is it blind- I’m s-sorry for prying but-”

Bill cut the boy off with a small chuckle. “Yes, it can see perfectly. Much better than your normal meatsack eyes can. I just prefer to hide it. Some things are better off not seen.”

Dipper nodded in agreement. Bill waited for him to say something more but it did not happen. Instead, the boy forced him to sit on the sofa to treat the scrapes on his face. Silence settled between them as Dipper applied some disinfectant on each of Bill’s grazes, the other not even wincing a tiny bit.

“Doesn’t this hurt you?” Dipper asked which earned him a too wide grin from Bill. He visibly winced at the reaction he had garnered.

“Pain is hilarious!” Bill cheered, clapping his hands along.

Raising an eyebrow, Dipper peeled a band-aid and placed them on the biggest cut Bill had. “I don’t see you laughing...” he mumbled.

Bill just rolled his eyes in response but did not say anything. He studied the face of his former lover, eyes gleaming at their close proximity. He still can’t forget the first time Dipper had started relaxing whenever he was around. And the first time they kissed. If he could just lean a little closer-

No!

Bill steeled himself to look at other things than his Pine Tree. His eyes darted to the the axolotl that Stan had decided to have as a pet. His gaze stayed there until Dipper was done treating his wounds. Bill mentally let out a sigh of relief. If Dipper hadn’t stopped anytime soon, he doesn’t know what he might accidentally do to the boy.

“Done!” Dipper exclaimed as he inspected his handiwork. He was no Red Cross volunteer but he deemed it would pass the average standards of first-aiding. He gathered the supplies he had used and placed them back to the kit. Bill hoped that he wasn’t too obvious at trying to avoid his Pine Tree. Dipper seemed to haven’t noticed it even a single bit.

Or so he thought...

“I wonder what I did wrong again for you to sit farther away than before...” he muttered quite audibly which he obviously meant for the demon to hear. “You’ve been trying to shut me out since that night.”

Eyes glancing at the boy, Bill felt humiliation creep up his every being. Losing his memories did not mean that Dipper’s observation skills vanished along with it. Bill mentally slapped himself. Of course it wouldn’t be, it was already a part of the boy, an ability he had gained throughout the years of being in the forest.

“I-” Bill started, unsure of what to say. What should he reply to that? He used to have so many retorts for a single statement Dipper could fire at him. But today, he found himself blank.

Without noticing it, cold anger started to seep through him, the sclera of his left eye turning into black again, the slitted pupil becoming eerie white. Dipper noticed the change in Bill’s eyes and abruptly stood up, moving quickly away from the now livid demon, blue tattoos glowing in contrast to Bill’s reddening skin.

“Gee, Dipper, I didn’t know what you did wrong!” he spat out, trying to quell his anger. But it was futile. He was irrationally mad at the person he still loves for losing his memories even if Dipper didn’t want to.

And Bill still felt that he had the right to be angry.

Which was selfish and utterly stupid of him.

Bill’s eye returned to normal (as far as what normalcy applied to him) and faced Dipper again. The teen was a few feet away from him now, ready to bolt to the door in case Bill suddenly went coco-bananas. Bill sighed audibly and pinched the bridge of his nose. _Way to go, Cipher,_ he mumbled to himself.

“Look-” he started, still unable to find the right words to say. “These past few days, I’ve been really, really stressed. It’s not that I’m avoiding you justbecauseImightnotcontrolmyslefandgiveintocarnaldesire-” he said a little too quickly, Dipper hadn’t caught it “-No.” Dipper raised an eyebrow at him. “You see, when you’re sleeping in a couch that has protruding springs hell bent on impaling you, you’d probably want to murder- er- shut out every one you see-”

“You don’t treat Mabel like that.” Dipper snapped but instantly regretted it. Bill hadn’t noticed the boy stiffen up after his comment or the tone of jealousy Dipper had used. “O-Or Stan!” Dipper quickly added, trying to salvage what was left of his pride and ego.

“Shooting Star is a special case, Pine Tree.” Bill replied casually, not even batting an eyelash. It unnerved Dipper to the core. “And Stan doesn’t deserve peace and quiet when I’m around.”

Dipper tried to school his features to normal and, he thanked whatever being that was there that helped him, was quite successful in doing so. He passed his tone just a while ago as his overprotective brother instinct. But the blush and heat adorning his face was betraying him like Judas.

Thankfully, Bill was too busy rambling about not having a proper room and bed and if only he could, he would burn that accursed couch in an instant.

“You can always stay in my room, you know. The bed’s too big for one person.” Dipper interjected that made Bill halt with his rants. His eyes widened at Dipper’s proposal and without a second thought pulled Dipper in another tight embrace. First, treating his wounds and then this-! His Pine Tree still cared for him.

_Dipper still cared._

But he remembered why he was avoiding the boy in the first place and it made him gently push Dipper away. “S-Sorry..” he apologized, not meeting Dipper’s eyes. “But I can’t.”

Dipper‘s face contorted into confusion. “Why? It’s not like you’re gonna kill me in my sleep, right?”

“Of course not! Why would I-”

“So you really hate me?” Dipper asked and it slapped Bill right across in the face. The look of dejection  was clear on the boy’s face and it hit him worse than the time Stan had hit him with a left hook. “I know I’m not really likeable but I didn’t know I was that loath-”

“Fine!” Bill exclaimed, cutting Dipper in the process. “I would sleep with you in your room, on your bed and with you just to prove that I **DON’T** hate you in any way!” He pulled Dipper into another hug and buried his nose on the boy’s locks. “Stop thinking like that.” he whispered in Dipper’s hair.

Dipper flushed beet red at the intimate gesture and squirmed under the dream demon’s hold. When Bill pulled away from him, he hastily grabbed the still open first aid kit, spilling the contents on the ground. Hurrying to pick everything up, Dipper did not even spare a glance at Bill’s face. After he was done, he shut the lid of the box tight and scurried back to his room.

He slammed the door shut and leaned on it for a few more seconds, trying to even his breathing. Face still beet red, Dipper flopped himself to the bed, groaning in annoyance at his awkwardness. His mind drifted to the coming nightfall, to when Bill would start sleeping with him in this bed. His cheeks flushed redder. God, that sounded too suggestive!

The brunette slapped his face in irritation and noticed the triangular eye patch the he was still clutching. Right, he had snatched it off from Bill and forgot to give it back. Now that he thinks back about it, that was kind of a dick thing to do.

Dipper groaned louder.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to fight this chapter...   
> I hope this went well to you guys....


	13. Gelatin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heya! So, if anyone wants to ask me something regarding this fic, here's my tumblr account: izuminatsuki.tumblr.com

When Mabel and Stan returned later that evening, they instantly interrogated Bill about his band-aid covered face. Bill, of course, just spewed some nonsense about him landing face first on the floor with the scattered glass he had accidentally broken earlier that day. They seemed to believe him though since Mabel’s reaction was to rush at Bill’s side and inspect his wounds and for their grunkle to laugh loudly at the demon’s demise.

Dipper was thankful Bill hadn’t ratted him out.

“Oh, that is gold!” Grunkle Stan howled in laughter as he slapped his knee in pure amusement “You should have caught it on footage, Dipper!” When he started choking on his own saliva, it was Bill’s turn to laugh hysterically. Mabel slapped his arm before aiding their grunkle.

“Bill! That’s not nice!” she lectured as she handed a glass of water to Stan. Bill just rolled his single visible eye and continued laughing. “Bill!”

“What? He started it!” Bill defended as he crossed his arms and huffed. Dipper slightly shook his head at the dream demon’s childishness. Who would have thought. He went to his sister’s side who was still patting Stan’s back to ease his coughing.

“You should really respect the elders, Bill.” Dipper commented at the still pouting dream demon. Stan raised his index finger in approval.

“Yeah, Cipher. Respect the elders!” he exclaimed which earned him a smug expression from Bill. Stan raised an eyebrow at his reaction.

“Sorry to burst your bubble, Stan, but you seemed to have forgotten that I am older than you.” he said a matter-of-factly. “And than humanity itself.”

Stan wasn’t able to respond to that. Instead, he closed and opened his mouth like a goldfish. Mabel laughed at their little dispute while Dipper facepalmed himself. Of course he is older than everyone here. He’s a freakin’ demon!

“So.” Bill said smugly and it was starting to get into Dipper’s nerves. “Respect me, Stan.” Stan gave him an obscene gesture and Bill hooted louder. Dipper walked past him, stepping on his foot along the way, earning a yelp from the dream demon. “Hey!” he cried in annoyance.

Dipper smirked at him and hastily climbed up the stairs to his room while Stan abruptly stood up and stretched. “Welp, I’m tired and old. I’m going to my room now.” Stan muttered, still glaring at Bill. He then gave the demon a smug grin. “But still not as old as you!” Laughing, Stan jogged towards his room while Mabel held Bill’s arm, preventing him from hurting her grunkle.

“C’mon, Bill! Just ignore him!” she said, trying to ease the demon. She sighed  in annoyance when Bill was still aggressively trying to break free from her hold (He had decided that using his strength on trying to break away from Mabel would do him no good) . "For Christ's sake, Bill!" With one final yank, the demon fell face-first on the floor, yelping as his scrapes brushed on the cold, hard flooring. Mabel immediately scampered to help him up. "Oh my gosh, Bill, I'm so sorry!"

"Wow, Shooting Star, just-Wow." Bill said sardonically, propping himself with both hands. Mabel was still muttering small apologies while she aided Bill. “I know you’re trying to protect that old man from me but do you really have to do that?” Bill crossed his arms on his chest and feigned hurt. Mabel just slapped him hard on the back, jerking him in the process.

“As if you don’t like pain!” she chuckled heartily. Her eyes landed on Bill’s band-aid covered face and  suddenly lit up as realization struck her. Bill never, EVER, treat his wounds. “Hey, Bill?” she started earning the demon’s attention. “Who treated your scrapes?”

Bill visibly tensed which didn’t go unnoticed by the girl. Mabel silently squealed but it was still loud enough to make the demon flinch. Grabbing both his shoulders, Mabel shook the demon in her excitement.

“No friggin’ way! Did Dip Dop do it? Did he? DID HE?” The demon’s lack of answer was enough to confirm Mabel’s guess. She squealed louder, making the demon cover her mouth with his gloved hands.

“Okay! Okay! I get it!” Bill tried to ease her excited nerves but was unsuccessful. Mabel giddily removed his hand from her mouth. Pacing in front of the demon, she started rambling.

“This is amazing! This is really amazing!” she rambled on, flailing her hands as she spoke. “Fabulously amazing! Do you know what this means Bill?!” she asked, Bill raising an eyebrow in question. Mabel rolled her eyes. “It means Dippin’ Sauce still have feelings for you!” She started bouncing until Bill stopped her. Mouthing a ‘what?’, Bill seriously faced Mabel.

“I really don’t think that’s the case, Shooting Star.” Mabel frowned at him. “I mean, yeah he might still care but I don’t think the feelings are there.” he explained, her scowl deepening. “So hold your horses. We’ll get there soon without rushing Pine Tree too much.” he assured, Mabel making another eye-roll. “Shooting Star, I swear if you roll your eyes again I’m gonna snatch them out and feed them to that walking bacon of yours.”

A raspberry was blown before Mabel replied. “Bill, Dipper might have lost his memories,” She twirled her hair and smiled reassuringly. “but that did not mean the feelings were gone with it.” Her hand reached up to Bill’s cheek and she patted it as if it was the very reminder of his and Dipper’s relationship. “You should have more faith in Dipper. If his not-amnesiac self sees you, he’ll definitely kick your doubtful ass.”

“I’m a demon,Shooting Star. ‘Faith’ is something that I lack.”

“Wha-no- not in that manner, Bill!” she playfully shoved Bill, both of them chuckling. When Mabel glanced at the time, her face scrunched up. “Ugh! It’s this late?! Sleeping late is not good for my skin. I’m gonna be ugly!” Mabel turned to Bill which was now chuckling at her beauty issues. “Bill, I must bid thee goodnight. I need my beauty rest.” After sharing a brief hug, (and hearing a scurrying of footsteps from upstairs) Mabel receded back to her room.

“Oh Shooting Star.” Bill chuckled as he climbed up the stairs towards the attic room. He was startled when he saw Dipper sitting at the steps, face distorted in a light scowl. The boy seemed to haven’t noticed him until Bill broke his trance. “Pine Tree?”

Surprise immediately replaced the frown and Dipper hastily stood up when he noticed the dream demon. Bill wondered what he was doing there, sitting and probably mulling about something important. “B-Bill!” he squeaked, flinching when his voice slightly cracked.

“What are you doing here?”

“Uh, n-nothing?” Dipper turned his eyes to the ceiling in an attempt to not meet Bill’s own eye. “I- I was just wondering why Mabel wasn’t in her room and I saw both of you downstairs so-”

“You were eavesdropping?” Bill’s eye narrowed suspiciously. If Dipper had heard their conversation, he might have already freaked out knowing that he had a demon for a boyfriend. Heck, it might be what he was mulling over earlier. But before his face switched to panic, the boy reacted. 

Dipper flailed his hands frantically. “N-No. I didn’t! I didn’t hear anything! Just saw you and Mabes hugging...”  he trailed off, voice turning into something akin to jealousy.

Which Bill hadn’t noticed since he was too busy planning different excuses and reasons (reaching to plan F) if ever Dipper accidentally finds out.

The boy spun on his heels without warning and went back to his room, face in deep flush. Bill followed after him, confused and worried for the other’s sudden actions.

+++

Sharing a bed did not mean also sharing each other’s warmth and Bill sighed both in relief and disappointment. He turned his head to look at his Pine Tree only to have a small barricade of pillows meet his gaze.Oh how he wants to grab those damned pillows and throw them out the window. ‘ _Control yourself, Bill_ ’ he repeated again and again like his own personal mantra.

He turned to the other side with another sigh and closed his eyes. He could feel the boy shift positions, seeming distraught and bothered. Realizing it won’t be stopping anytime soon, he started. “Penny for your thoughts?”

There was no immediate reply so Bill waited. Minutes passed, still the boy refused to say anything so he closed both his eyes and decided to not press the matter. It would only stress his Pine Tree which is something he did not want to happen. When sleep was starting to claim him, Dipper suddenly spoke up, jolting Bill awake.

“You and Mabel are too close for my liking.” he said while worrying his lower lip. Bill propped himself with one elbow to look at his Pine Tree. Dipper refused to even glance at him.

“Would you care to elaborate?” he asked, a worried scowl starting to form on his face. The dream demon sat up, facing Dipper causing more discomfort to the nineteen-year-old boy. “Shooting Star and I have been close ever since.”

Dipper also sat up to fully face the demon, careful to not disturb the small pillow barrier he had painstakingly laid out between them. He pinched the bridge of his nose in a small attempt to not show how irritated he was to his and Mabel’s relationship. The last thing he needed was to have his sister marrying a demon, bounding herself to the fiery depths hell.

“It’s just...” he started, not even knowing what to say next. His vision darted to the ceiling as if the answer was there and all he had to do was to just find it. Sighing, he added, “I just don’t want her to be hell-bound, okay? Please stay away from her.”

Bill’s eyebrow perked up, the small specks of gold in his right eye glowing amongst the darkness surrounding them. He gazed at his Pine Tree a little longer than necessary causing more uneasiness to Dipper. “She’s not the one who’s hell-bound, that I can assure.” he muttered, not too quiet for Dipper to miss but also not too audible to actually comprehend the demon’s words. Bill gave him a somewhat creepy smile, his right  eye glowing more. “Nothing... Your sister’s safe. But I really don’t think befriending a demon will guarantee her a spot in ‘paradise’. If ever such thing exists.”

Dipper gaped at him, eyes brimming with curiosity and thirst for knowledge. He leaned closer, destroying the pillow barrier along with it. “Wait, so you’re saying Heaven doesn’t exist?”

Bill gave him a shrug. “Meh. I did not say that. But interpret it as you will.” A smug smile appeared on his face and Dipper just wanted to shove the demon back to the hellhole he came from. Annoyed, he laid his head on his pillow    and turned to the wall, pulling the blanket up to is face with a huff.

“Stay away from Mabel.” he deadpanned causing the demon to slightly chuckle.

“Try telling that to your sister.” Bill laid on his back, head turned to look at Dipper’s covered body now that the barrier was slightly ruined. A small smile crept to his face as Dipper mumbled words of complain and irritation to himself. “Good night, Pine Tree.”

Not expecting Dipper to reply, he closed both his eyes, smile still lingering.

“Good night, Bill.” Dipper replied, causing the dream demon to abruptly snap his eyes open. He turned to look at his Pine Tree, a small blush now adorning his face. His smile widened but became more gentle.

Bill waited until he was sure Dipper was fast asleep. He sat up again, looking intently at Dipper’s sleeping face. The luxury of having to caress those cheeks were suddenly stripped off of him and he was still not used to it. Brushing his fingertips to the boy’s brown locks, Bill brought his lips to ghost near Dipper’s cheeks as a substitute for a kiss. He did not dare go further and instead, retracted himself away from the sleeping boy and laid on his back.

“I love you...” he said longingly. This time, he was sure that he will get no reply.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I WANT TO INFLICT PAIN IN YOUR HEARTS I HOPE I'M BEING SUCCESSFUL


	14. A Strange Dream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Exam weeks are coming, HOLY SHIT!  
> Updates will take longer than my usual, so please bear with me?

It was the first time Dipper had dreamt for a very long time. Usually, he just wakes up noticing that he hadn’t dreamed of anything or whatsoever. The doctor’s had said that it might be because of his condition right now, but Dipper felt otherwise. He wasn’t complaining, though. Dreamless sleeps are better than one full of nightmares.

In this dream, he found himself standing in a clearing. Whipping his head from side to side, Dipper realized that he was in the forest near the shack. Both his curiosity and alertness perked up. After that incident earlier that day, he found himself becoming too extra careful right now, even if it was just a dream.

Wait. How was he aware that he is dreaming? Is he currently lucid dreaming? If that was the case then he must admit that it was wicked cool.

Dipper scanned the vicinity around him. The clearing was adorned with wildflowers of different color and specie everywhere. By a fallen log, a small brook was bubbling and going to the direction of the woods. Small forest animals were constantly going there, not even minding his presence.

When Dipper turned his head to an enormous tree, he saw another him. A gasp escaped his lips and he found himself jogging nearer to probably his doppelganger. Standing only meters away from him, Dipper wondered why the other him was not even in the slightest acknowledging his presence. He waved a hand to call his attention but still, he ignored him. “Uhm, excuse me...” Dipper tried but was still disregarded. He decided to just watch and wait.

The other him, the one leaning on the tree’s trunk, was scribbling a bunch of notes on a small, yellowing paper with the familiar journal in his lap. His brows were furrowed in concentration. Dipper tried to read what the other him was writing but the contents were hazy and blurry. He reached for the paper and was surprised when his hand just went through.

“Strange...” he muttered, wondering what could have caused it. Glancing around him, he mused if it was another memory playing. A small smile tugged on his lips.

“I knew I’d find you here...” a new voice said, making Dipper and the memory him jerk in surprise. He turned to face the new presence but was disappointed when he saw that his memory still hasn’t returned that much to actually fully reveal the other person. The image was blurry and unclear. Dipper wasn’t even sure if it was male or female. The voice was slightly garbled yet coherent at the same time. 

The memory him turned to look at the person and gave an annoyed but fond pout. The person sat beside him, memory-Dipper scooting over to make room. Leaning to the other’s notes, the person chuckled slightly.

“Really? That thing? Are you really wasting your time on that rather than spending time with me?” Memory-Dipper elbowed the person, earning him another round of chuckling. He rolled his eyes and returned to scribbling.

“It’s interesting and you have no right to mock me since your definition of interesting consists of deer's teeth and screaming heads.” he replied, brows furrowing as he crossed a word from his paragraph. “Besides, Mabel also likes this kind of stuff.”

“Ah, for sister dear.” the person commented, leaning on memory-Dipper’s shoulder. The person nuzzled his neck, and memory-Dipper giggled slightly. Dipper, who was awkwardly standing there, mouth agape and blush adorning his cheeks was surprised at what was transpiring in front of him. Is this person his lover? He has a LOVER?!

“Stop it! C’mon! I have to finish this before the sun sets!” he chuckled, the person snatching the paper away from memory-Dipper. “Aw, come on! Give it back...”

The person tackled memory-Dipper to the ground, both of them a laughing heap of mess. Wildflowers tickled memory-Dipper’s neck and ears, making him giggle louder. “Someone’s ticklish today.” the person said, burying their face on the crook of memory-Dipper’s neck.

Both of them stayed like that and Dipper’s face was now beet red. Who is this person? Had he already met them? He tread a hand through his hair, trying to process the new information he had acquired. Why hadn’t Mabel mentioned this to him?

He felt the dream shift but he only found himself awake. Light entered through the window, bathing his room with a warm morning glow. Dipper turned to look at the demon currently sharing a bed with him but the spot was  empty. Bill must have woken up before him. He groggily sat up, his thoughts returning back to the dream, making his face flush.     What on earth was that?

He would definitely ask Mabel about this.

+++

It was Bill’s turn to cook breakfast and he wasn’t so sure about it. Yeah, he knows how to cook but the delicacies that he can actually make could cause loss of appetite to the meatsacks he currently live with. He was thankful Shooting Star was there to help him.

“No, Bill. Remove the eggshells. They’re not edible.” she lectured, expertly removing the bits of shells in the bowl. Bill grabbed another egg and tried to break it properly. He was more successful this time. “Yeah, just like that!”

“But I always see that walking bacon of yours eating these things. Why does your kind not eat it?” he grumbled, popping an eggshell into his mouth. His face scrunched in disgust and Mabel was laughing hard at his reaction. “I now understand why.”   

“Waddles has different sense of taste, Bill. Of course he would enjoy eating something like this.” Mabel chirped. She turned to get the pancake mix from the fridge when she noticed her twin, standing on the door frame separating the kitchen from the living room. She jogged towards him and gave him a brief hug, Dipper returning it a little less enthusiastically. When they both pulled away, Mabel dragged him towards the counter where Bill was currently scrambling the eggs. “Join us in preparing breakfast, Dip!”

“Uh yeah...” he replied, Mabel handling him the spatula. She then opened the fridge and took the pancake mix out. She could feel the holes Dipper was boring on her back but payed it no mind. When she returned to the counter, Dipper was still eyeing her carefully. She opened her mouth to ask him what was the problem but Dipper cut her to it. “Mabes, is there something you needed to tell me?” he started, catching the girl off guard.

Bill turned his attention to the boy and briefly made eye contact with Mabel. He silently asked what was happening and Mabel just shrugged at him. Dipper turned to look at Bill then to his twin then back to Bill again. When he questioningly raised an eyebrow at her, Mabel tried to compose herself.

“W-What do you mean, bro-bro?” she asked nervously, occasionally glancing at the demon’s worried face.

“I-It’s just that... I had this strange dream last night.” he admitted, glancing at the spatula in his hand. “I saw myself... in a clearing. It has colorful wildflowers and a brook.” He glanced at his twin for any sort of recognition about said place but only got a confused look. “I-It has this really huge tree near it.”

“Go on...” Mabel urged. She noticed the demon behind Dipper tense up and realized that it was something concerning the both of them.

“I saw myself. I was writing something but I don’t know what it is. The words were blurry.” He rubbed his nape awkwardly. “Then someone came and sat beside me. I don’t recognize them. L-Like, I can’t see their face clearly and I’m not sure whether it was a guy or a girl.”

“And then what happened?”

“The person... started commenting ‘bout the thing I was writing and then nuzzling my neck.” he blushed and Mabel saw a  flash of recognition on the dream demon’s face. “I-I think that person was my...” he trailed off, not meeting Mabel’s eyes.

“Lover?” she supplied, Dipper nodding slowly. Mabel worried her lower lip. She doesn’t know what to tell her brother. She looked at her brother solemnly and turned to look at Bill. He shook his head slowly, silently pleading  her not to tell anything and Mabel, despite her guts pushing her to tell Dipper the truth, respected his decision.

Silence settled around them and it was unbearable to Mabel. Thankfully, Bill decided to break it. “Now, now Pine Tree.” Dipper glanced at Bill at hearing the nickname he was given. “Dreams are eccentric things. Anything could happen in it.” he said a matter-of-factly. His eyes briefly darted to Mabel but immediately returned to Dipper. “I am the master of the mind, kid. Trust me. Your sister’s not hiding anything from you.”

Dipper still looked doubtful but decided to not push the matter. The demon had a point. He slowly nodded and gave Mabel the spatula back, saying that he still has some things to do and so cannot help them with cooking and climbed up the stairs. When he was out of earshot, Mabel slapped Bill on the arm, hard.

“What was that?!” she asked angrily to the point of almost fuming. Bill didn’t look at her and instead focused his attention to mixing the milk with the egg. “You could have told him everything! About you two!”

Bill stopped from what he was doing and glanced sadly at Mabel. His smile held no hint of happiness in them and it made Mabel feel a little guilty. “If you only knew how much I am holding myself back, Shooting Star.” he said, grabbing the bowl and making his way to the stove. Mabel followed after him.

“Then why aren’t you doing anything? You could just tell him the truth and you two could just go back to how you were before the accident.”

Bill laughed bitterly. “Shooting Star, I don’t want Dipper to love me just because I told him that we were in a relationship before he lost his memories.” Mabel looked down and started playing with the hem of her sweater. “I don’t want him to feel obligated in loving me.”

Mabel slowly nodded and smiled sadly, a motherly understanding on her face. “You want him to love you because he has feelings for you. Is that what you were trying to say?” Bill nodded and Mabel gave out a sigh. Her cheerful mood returned, infecting Bill with it. “Since when did you became sappy, Bill? Okay then!” she chirped, clasping both of her hands along. She then patted Bill’s shoulder gently.

“Now what are you up to?”

“Well I am a matchmaker, Bill and operation: Make Dipper Fall in Love With You Again is now in action!” she exclaimed not too loudly whilst pumping her arms in the air. The light mood from earlier returned, Bill chuckling and turning the stove on to heat the pan. He then started cooking the eggs, humming along the song Mabel was singing.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys probably saw this already but I drew that nectar-covered scene minus the blurry image of Bill:  
> http://izuminatsuki.tumblr.com/post/124916374609/woaaahhh-finally-got-to-post-yeesh-been-busy  
> sorry for crappy art, tho haha *sweats*


	15. When Lips Meet

Days had passed after the incident in the woods. Since then, Dipper were having vague dreams about him and the mystery person doing things only couples do. Sometimes it was in the clearing, other times they were somewhere in the shack. But wherever it was, it never failed to leave Dipper a blushing mess after he wakes up.

Light kisses, soft caresses and sincere hugs; these were what usually Dipper sees in his dreams. Of course, anyone who dreams such things would usually get a little flustered. But the problem was, the dreams did not stay like that. They had changed  and became more... intimate than the ones he had dreamt of earlier.

Needy moans, quiet whimpers and flushed bodies would only not leave Dipper blushing early in the morning; it also creates a tent on his boxers and he isn’t too much happy about it, especially now that he constantly shares a bed with a demon who could possibly notice said tent and maybe not let him hear the end of it.

So like every other mornings, Dipper was covered in his blanket, waiting out his morning wood. He doesn’t know whether to feel relieved or horrified about the fact that Bill always wakes up before him. The dream demon could have probably already seen him with one.

But if ever Bill did see him in such state, he did not comment about it.

Deeming it was okay to show himself to the world, Dipper got up to do his morning rituals. His feet shuffled against the creaking floorboards as he made his way towards the bathroom. Before he could open the door, Mabel instantly appeared on his side, making him jump in surprise.

“GOOD MORNING, DIPPIN’ SAUCE!” she yelled loudly, grabbing both Dipper’s shoulders and shaking him in excitement. When she stopped, she immediately hugged her brother. “Isn’t today a wonderful day?!”

“Uh... Yeah?” was Dipper’s only reply. Something was off with his sister and he doesn’t know what it is. Maybe she needed something from him. Yeah, that definitely is the reason. “What’s up?”

“No~thing!” Mabel sing-sang, making Dipper more worried. She turned to him again and flashed a wild and excited smile. She fluttered her eyes in front of him a little too slowly, heightening Dipper’s worry.

His sister’s sudden weirdness definitely is one way to greet the morning. And he thought his everyday boner was on the top list. “Are you sick or something?” he asked, placing a hand on her forehead. Nothing. No heat or whatsoever.

“Of course not!”

“Then why are you acting weird?”

Mabel twirled around to walk back towards the store part of the shack. Dipper raised an eyebrow at his twin’s  actions. He shrugged it off as Mabel being intoxicated with Mabel Juice early in the morning. As he was about to open the door to the bathroom, Mabel suddenly spoke, “Let’s just say someone’s gonna fall in love today!”

Dipper slightly chuckled. It always amuses him when Mabel try to play matchmaker. “And that person is?”

But instead of an answer, his sister dashed away from him, leaving him confused and VERY worried.

+++

Mabel’s words had been echoing all over his head and it had been bothering Dipper to the core. He tried not to let it show, though, but everyone who sees him would just look at him strange and ask if his stomach was okay, to which Dipper would just shake his head vehemently in reply.

He was situated behind the counter pressing random buttons on the cash register. The business was slow that day, people choosing not to go to the shack due to the heat. Bill was silently restocking the shelves, which was weird since he seldom shuts his mouth. Dipper pursed his lips into a thin line. Why is everybody acting weird today? Even Stan immediately left early that morning, only leaving Mabel a message to open the shack.

And where would his grunkle be off to?

Sighing loudly in annoyance, Dipper returned his attention back to pressing random buttons on the cash register.

“Someone seems to have a problem today.” Bill suddenly spoke up, startling Dipper only to miss the button he had been pressing. He looked at the demon, who raised an eyebrow at him, and instantly felt the heat creeping up his face. His thoughts immediately wandered to the dreams he had been having recently, making his flush more visible.

“N-Not really. Just have a lot on my plate today.” he muttered, shooing the dirty thoughts away from his mind. He mentally slapped himself for associating Bill with the mystery person.

“You always do! What difference does this day hold?” he chuckled, earning a glare from the brunette. Okay, there’s definitely no way Bill would have something to do with that mystery person. He is an asshole.

Dipper rolled his eyes. “You won’t understand.” he flatly said, avoiding eye contact with the demon. He fiddled with the jar of probably fake eyes (he hoped) that had been sitting on the counter.

“Try me.”

This took Dipper by surprise. He can’t possibly tell the dream demon that he had been having sex dreams with someone he can’t even recall. The look of embarrassment and mortification on Dipper’s face must have shown since it caused Bill to laugh loudly, the other grabbing a newspaper and hitting him on the head, only fueling the demon’s amusement.

“Wh-What’s with that face?” he said in between snickers, trying his best to control his laughter. Dipper flushed redder in both anger and embarrassment. That’s it. Bill definitely is an asshole. “You look like you’d walk in on two people having sex!”

Dipper’s face grew hotter and redder and he was just so done at the demon being an inconsiderate jerkwad that he always was. “You know what? If you’re here just to laugh at my face, why don’t you go return to restocking the shelf?” he spat, obviously trying to intimidate the demon. But Bill was nowhere intimidated.

“Make me, Pine Tree.” he challenged leaning on the counter, his face only mere inches away from Dipper’s. Dipper, who doesn’t want to show that he was browbeaten, did not back away but leaned closer until they were a hairsbreadth from each other.

“Oooh, what is this? Is there going to be some kissing fest happenin’ cause I have my phone in hand ready to dial Pacifica~” Mabel suddenly teased, both men whipping their heads to look at her. She suggestively wiggled an eyebrow at both of them, earning an embarrassed denial from Dipper and a too wide grin from Bill.

“O-Of c-c-course not! Bill was just being the asshole that he is!” Dipper stuttered, face now beet red. He immediately shoved himself away from the counter to distance himself away from Bill. This only fueled his twin’s excitement.

“I dunno, Shooting Star. Pine Tree seems to be flirting with me.” Bill snickered, Dipper looking at him with incredulity. He was in no way flirting with Bill. If you actually look at it from an angle, it was Bill who was flirting with him!

“I AM NOT!” Dipper exclaimed, face tomato red. Bill howled in laughter as Dipper opened and closed his mouth like a goldfish. Dipper turned to Mabel, flailed his hands wildly and tried to explain, “He’s the one flirting with me!”

“But you’re liking it!” Mabel teased him again, his only reaction was to sputter. Did his explanation just back fire on him? When Dipper was about to retort, a customer had entered the store, making them return to their previous tasks. But before Bill could walk away, he winked at the still flustered brunette who only blushed redder in reply.

+++

“The flirting tactic seems to be working, Bill!” Mabel squealed quietly when they were in the living room. It was the shack’s closing time and it was Dipper’s turn to do it. Bill wanted to help him but Mabel insisted they talk about their current mission.

“I hope he’s okay there...” Bill mumbled, glancing at the ‘Employees Only’ door that separates the house from the shop. Mabel slapped him in the hand to gain his attention. “What?”

“Are you even listening to me?” Mabel huffed, crossing her hands on her chest. Bill momentarily frowned at her then his vision returned to the door. Mabel just rolled her eyes in exasperation. “He’s gonna be fine, Bill.” she assured.

“I could help him, you know. That might be bad for his condition.”

“Oh. My. God.” Mabel exclaimed in utter annoyance. Bill raised an eyebrow at her. “Bill, Dipper got amnesia. Not a terminal illness!” she  cried not too loudly.

“I know, but-”

“No buts! We are going to plan for this operation Bill. I need no distractions!” As if on cue, Dipper entered through the door, eyes studying Mabel carefully. The older twin instantly froze, eyes widened in shock. Wow, Dipper sure knows what timing is. “Oh, hi Dipdop!” she tried to greet casually. “Done with closing up?”

Dipper nodded slowly, still cautious of his sister’s sudden antics. He made his way towards them and sat on the floor beside Mabel, halting whatever conversation they had.

“Why would someone distract you, Mabes?” Dipper asked when he finally felt comfortable with his position, legs sprawled and both hands hanging limply on his side. His head leaned on the couch behind him. “Do you have anything important going on?” 

“Nothin’ really. Just a new idea for a sweater!” she said, grin too wide to be even considered natural. Dipper just shrugged at her, vision resting on the T.V. screen. An idea popped up Mabel’s mind. She feigned a yawn and stretched. “Boy, today sure was a tiring day!” she said and hastily stood up. “I’m gonna hit the hay, guys. Got a really big day tomorrow!”

She told both men a goodnight before slipping back to her room, both Dipper and Bill not making any attempt to move. Dipper kept stealing glances at Bill, only to avert them when the demon looks his way. The earlier flirting still wasn’t out of his mind and it was making him quite uncomfortable.

“Uhm, dude?” Dipper started, hoping the dream demon would hear him. He did.

“Yes?” Bill replied then stood up, Dipper hastily following suit. The demon dusted a nonexistent soot off his clothes before stretching.

“Were you really flirting with me?” he asked, careful not to look at Bill’s general direction. A few moments had passed, the sound of the T.V. the only thing that echoed throughout the whole room, before Bill spoke.

“Is it of importance?” he silently questioned, causing Dipper to stammer. He couldn’t read the demon’s tone and he wasn’t sure whether the demon was offended or worse. But that was issue was important and he’ll not let the demon get away with it.

“S-Sort of...” he mumbled weakly.

Bill hummed in response and turned to Dipper, a grin on his face. He patted Dipper’s head and simply held both the boy’s cheeks. He leaned closer to the brunette. “It’s your choice whether to consider it as one, Pine Tree.” he whispered quietly, lips dangerously close to the boy’s.

Dipper’s eyes flicked to the demon’s lips and his thoughts instantly ran back to the dreams he had been having. He had always been the subject of those dreams; hugging, kissing, making out and doing lewd things with someone he couldn’t even remember. Dipper wondered how those kisses must have felt like.

Without thinking, Dipper wrapped his arms around the demon’s neck as Bill was pulling away from him, stood on his tiptoes and pressed his lips on the demon’s. A surprised gasp escaped Bill’s lips as Dipper tried to work the kiss. Not a moment later, he felt hands wrap around his waist and pulled him closer.

It all seems familiar. Too familiar, like the ones from his dream. Dipper tilted his head to the side, letting Bill have better access to his mouth. He felt a tongue trying to infiltrate his closed lips and that was when Dipper’s senses came back to him.

He immediately pushed Bill away the moment he snapped awake. He could feel his face in a feverish blush and Bill’s was no worse. He tried to find an excuse but miserably failed. Looking around but the demon’s eye, his vision landed on the door and immediately bolted towards it, scampering when he was on the stairs.

He met Mabel on the hallway but he refused to acknowledge her presence. Damn, what was he thinking doing a stunt like that? His body just moved on their own!

“Hey, Dips! Why is your face so re-” Mabel wanted to ask but Dipper did not let her finish and just passed by her, went to his room, created a small barricade of pillows, covered his entire body with a blanket and hoped that sleep would claim him ASAP.

But his mind just kept going back to the kiss and damn, how much he hated himself. He remembered Mabel’s words earlier that morning, making him widen his eyes both in surprise and horror.

_“Let’s just say someone’s gonna fall in love today!”_

And in both surprise and horror, he realized Mabel was right.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my God, what did I just do?  
> Please hold your pitch forks and torches I am so sorry I butchered this chappie pleasedon'tkillme


	16. The Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gosh! I didn't expect this fic would get all of these positive responses, so a lovely thank you to all of you guys who read, kudoed, commented and bookmarked this fic! You guys make me so happy! *blushes*
> 
> Hope you still sail with me 'til the end :DDD

“Bill, what happened?!” Mabel interrogated the demon the moment she reached the living room only to find him with eyes wide open and mouth agape, blush trying to consume his whole face. What happened while she was gone? She did try to ask Dipper but her brother avoided her like his life depended on it.

“Pine Tree- he- I-” Bill stammered, unable to speak. He tread a hand through his golden locks and started pacing in front of the girl. Mabel’s frown deepened at the demon’s odd behaviour. “Dipper! He did- I didn’t expect-” He flailed his hands wildly, desperately trying to explain everything to Mabel but still unable.

In her irritation, Mabel grabbed Bill’s shoulders to stop him from moving too much. Startled, Bill whipped his head to look at the girl in front of him.

“Bill, calm down.” she ordered while looking a little sternly at the demon’s single visible eye. She smiled reassuringly at Bill to ease his tense (or excited?) nerves. “Tell me what happened.” Mabel waited before the demon had fully calmed down. She watched intently as Bill opened his mouth.

“Dipper.” he said, a smile slowly creeping up his face. He immediately hugged Mabel, lifted her off the ground and twirled around, the brunette yelping because of the sudden change of mood. When he placed her back down, Mabel was more confused than ever.

“What about Dipper?” she asked, a hand clutching her head. A look of pure bliss appeared on the demon’s face and she wondered what Dipper had done to cause Bill to act like this.

“Pine Tree, he- he just kissed me!” Bill exclaimed, hands flailing wildly again. Now it was Mabel’s turn to hang her mouth open. Was that the reason why Dipper refused to even acknowledge her presence just a while ago? But why would Dipper kiss Bill? She looked at Bill again who was now lightly bouncing around. The demon then turned to her, a serious look suddenly replaced his jovial demeanor. “Shooting Star, slap me.”

“What?!” Mabel exclaimed, clutching both her hands to show the dream demon that she would do no such thing. “Why would I do that?”

Bill rolled his eye. “Just do it. Make sure it hurts!”

“No!” As if she would want to hurt Bill on purpose.

“I have to make sure this isn’t a dream!” Bill said, leaning his cheek closer to Mabel. “I have to make sure this is real!”

Mabel looked at Bill incredulously. Yeah, she would slap Bill, but not because he said so but because he had become stupid. “Bill! You don’t dream!” she exclaimed, causing the demon to stand straight, ponder and nod slowly as realization dawned on him.

“Oh yeah, I forgot!” he chuckled, flopping down on the couch that used to be his temporary bed. When his laughter receded, the blissful expression returned.

Mabel situated herself in front of the demon, hands planted on her hips. She was still confused about the events Bill had told her. Does this mean Dipper’s memories had returned? But the look he had a while ago...

Bill looked at her expectantly, a wide smile still on his face. If only Mabel hadn’t seen that look of regret on Dipper, she would definitely be happy for Bill.

Sighing, she plopped herself on the floor and mulled things over, Bill leaning over to look at her. Was it because of Dipper’s dreams? Or was it because of muscle memory? There’s no way that their flirting tactic worked way better than initially planned. The plan was for Dipper to fall in love, not suddenly kiss Bill!

Usually, Mabel should be the one who’s uncontrollable right now and Bill would be the one who usually calms her down, but because Mabel had seen the effects it had on her brother, she’s more worried than ever. Both for Dipper and Bill’s sake.

She gave Bill a small smile, still unsure if she should tell Bill what she thinks. Mabel wanted to be honest with him but she doesn’t want to ruin his ecstatic mood. She stood up, Bill’s eye following her.

“I-I’m happy for you, Bill.” Mabel said, trying her best to appear more cheerful. She hoped Bill hadn’t noticed her forced smile. “Welp, I’m going to my room now. Control yourself, okay?”

Bill’s face turned serious. He averted his eyes away from her, only landing on the T.V. screen. “Of course.” he assured, a small frown slowly appearing on his face. “I am not what I used to be, Shooting Star.”

Mabel nodded. “Of course you aren’t, Bill. I trust you.” She gave him one last smile before she started for the door and climbed up the stairs.

+++

When Mabel reached her room, she noticed her brother awkwardly standing in front of her door, clutching a blanket and a pillow. “Dipper?” she called out, her brother instantly turning to her.

Dipper gave her a sheepish smile, face still red. Mabel mused it was because of the events that transpired earlier that evening. “Hey Mabes.” he greeted, avoiding eye contact. After moments of uncomfortable silence and Mabel scrutinizing him, Dipper broke the silence. “D-Do you want a-a sleepover?”

A fleeting sadness appeared on Mabel’s face before she gave him a wide smile. She nodded enthusiastically, giving the stairs one last glance before ushering her brother to her room. “Of course I’d want to, bro-bro! It’s been a while since we had last one!”

Dipper gave her a grateful look. Mabel readied the cot for him while her twin sat on her bed, a dazed look in his eyes. Occasionally, she would see Dipper open his mouth to speak but would decide against it and close them again. This continued until Mabel had finished with her task.

“Done!” she exclaimed, startling Dipper out of his trance. She pursed her lips as she kept staring at her brother, making him flush and jittery. “You want to tell me something, Dipper?” she asked, scrutiny still heavy. She doesn’t want to make her brother feel uncomfortable but she needed to know. She can’t have these two idiots go back to avoiding each other again.

Dipper scowled, face shifting from uncertainty to discomfort to simply embarrassed. He buried his face in his hands as a groan escaped his lips. “I’m guessing you heard from... B-Bill.”

Mabel gave an affirmative sound causing Dipper to groan louder. The older twin sat beside him, patting his back gently. “Wanna talk about it?” she asked. She retrieved a pad of papers from her bedside table and handed it to Dipper, the latter immediately accepting it. His hands fumbled to folding the paper into a triangle, lips slightly quivering.

“I’m an idiot, Mabel.” he stated, putting the finished triangle down before reaching for another piece. “I don’t know what came to me. I-I shouldn’t have done that!”

Mabel kept her eyes on the growing pile of paper triangles Dipper had been making. “Do you... regret it?” she asked, hoping that her brother didn’t. This would surely affect Bill and Dipper’s relationship.

“Yes!” he exclaimed loudly, Mabel’s eyes widening in shock. The older twin started to play with her hair , unable to think of an advice for Dipper. Her brother only returned to burying his face on his hands before silently saying a ‘No...’ which was meant for Mabel to miss but obviously, she didn’t. Mabel immediately perked up at hearing Dipper’s silent confession.

“Wait- What?!” she cried. She grabbed both Dipper’s hands and pulled it away from his face making him look at her with a blush in his cheeks, eyes as wide as saucers. “You liked it?!”

Dipper averted his eyes, obviously trying to avoid the issue. But Mabel was getting none of that bullshit. If she’s going to help them get back together, then extreme measures are needed for these dorks.

“Dipper, I’m your sister. You can tell me.” she urged earning her an uncertain groan from her brother. After minutes of heavy scrutiny and nervous groans, Dipper gave up.

“Okay, fine!” he grumbled loudly as he pulled his hands away from his sister only to rub his nape. Mabel scooted closer to him. “I think I like the... kiss?” he muttered, shrugging his shoulders in utter surrender. He gave her a glance before proceeding. “It just felt familiar! Like someone had actually kissed me like that! And my dreams aren’t helping me, Mabes! Do you know how hard it is to conceal a flagpole every morning while hoping the demon you’re currently sharing a bed with won’t notice?!” He groaned even louder while Mabel’s face scrunched up in what seemed like disgust.

“Okay... Though, I think the last part was an unnecessary touch.” she commented, whilst still trying to come up for a proper advice. Dipper really was an idiot when it comes to this field even when he actually had a demon boyfriend. “So you think your dreams influenced you in doing it?”

“I guess...”

Mabel pursed her lips for the umpteenth time. “Do you like Bill?” she asked quietly, catching her brother off guard. Dipper’s breathing suddenly became erratic and Mabel feared that he was hyperventilating. “Whoa! Bro! Breathe!” she appeased, showing Dipper the breathing exercise for him to follow.

“I’m okay, I think.” he mumbled after continuing the exercise for several minutes. Mabel placed her hand on his reassuringly, letting her brother know that she will listen to him. Dipper gave her an uncertain nod. “Would it be if so bad... if I admit that I don’t know?” he said, letting his head rest on Mabel’s shoulder.

Mabel hummed, both of them staring at Mabel’s poster-covered the wall. The older twin rubbed small circles on Dipper’s back as he sighed contentedly. “I think it’s not bad to think things through.” she uttered. She felt her brother nod in her shoulder. Now that’s a good sign. Dipper might be putting her words to heart now. “Even though I hate thinking a lot.” she added, both of them chuckling lightly.

Comfortable silence settled between them until Dipper spoke up again. “I don’t want to like Bill.” This caused Mabel to widen her eyes, surprise and anger obvious on her usually cheerful face. She hastily pushed Dipper away, earning a confused ‘What’ from her twin.

“And what’s so wrong with liking Bill?!” she exclaimed angrily, tears brimming on the corner of her eyes. How could Dipper say that?

“Everything. He’s a demon, I could go to hell for even kissing him... You know, the usual.” he mumbled, averting his eyes from meeting Mabel’s .

Anger was then replaced by sadness and Mabel’s brain were starting to go haywire. She gave an irritated sigh before throwing her hands in utter exasperation. “Ugh! I don’t understand you, Dip Dop!” She flopped on her bed, letting out groans of annoyance directed solely at her brother.

“Hey, let’s just forget about this issue for a while, okay?” Dipper proposed as he looked down on his sister. Mabel gave him a pout. “Wanna play Attic stuff mini golf? It will be the Mabel’s room edition.” he sing-sang. At that, Mabel instantly perked up, shoving Dipper off the bed.

“Okay! Loser gets to do what the winner wants HIM to do!” she chuckled, hastily standing up to prepare their makeshift mini golf park. She grabbed a few bottles and her boy band magazines while Dipper retrieved the golf clubs from her closet.

“Hah! I’m pretty sure it would be a HER!” he retorted, trying to mask his face with eagerness and excitement. That kiss was nothing, he kept telling himself. Both of them just got caught up in the heat of the moment and Bill’s earlier flirting was nothing but to mess up with his brain. The demon obviously has it for Mabel and Dipper’s afraid that he’ll fall even deeper down this stupid pit and hurt himself in the process. He’ll just crush these feelings while they’re still unripe.

And to Dipper, it’s best if he just keep this to himself and not trouble his sister with his issues.

It’s best if Mabel didn’t know how much he fears loving someone who can’t possibly love him back.

+++

Bill tread a hand through his hair, his single visible eye squinting in utter irritation. He shouldn’t have gotten his hopes too high. His Pine Tree regretted the kiss and how foolish was he to think that Dipper wanted it. He paced back and forth in front of Mabel’s room angry at himself for being an idiot.

That look of utter disbelief and mortification, how could he miss it?

Bill stomped away, not wanting to listen to their conversation anymore. When he opened the door to the attic room, his face contorted in grief at seeing the small barricade of pillows that was even higher than how they usually were. He slowly closed the door and made his way to the bed, flopped down on it and curled in on himself.

His vision landed on one of Dipper’s hoodie that was unceremoniously draped on the head board. Bill immediately reached for it and brought it to his chest, feeling the warmth it still has. Clutching on to the hoodie as if it was his lifeline, Bill tried his hardest to lull himself to sleep.

 

 


	17. Broken

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The rating just went up guys!  
> And this chapter contains badly written porn .  
> Please forgive me, this is my first time writing this kind of stuff.  
> Also, this was supposed to be one not-really-long-but-still-longer-than-my-usual chapter but I decided to cut it in two...  
> So this is the first update for today!

Sharp nails grazed on his sides, leaving small droplets of blood in its wake and Dipper let out a soft moan that echoed throughout their room. The nails were then replaced by a warm, slick organ gently licking the wound clean. His hips buckled upward, causing the other to chuckle in amusement.

Ah fuck, it was one of those dreams again. And this time, Dipper isn’t taking the third person POV. 

He was experiencing it himself.

Dipper gasped as the tongue left the wounds and trailed towards his erect member, slowly licking his tip and not a moment later, engulfing him whole. A needy gasp escaped his lips as he grasp his hand on the other’s hair. He moved agonizingly slow and Dipper wanted to quicken the pace, but the other held his wrist to stop him from doing so.

“S-Stop teasing.” Dipper moaned, tugging at the mysterious person’s hair in hopes that he would stop this slow torture. But he didn’t and Dipper was stuck between moaning and groaning as sharp teeth gently bit on the sensitive flesh on his tip.

With one last lick at his precum, the tongue left Dipper’s cock, making him whine with the lack of contact. He let go of the blond locks that he had been holding on to and gripped desperately on the man’s tanned shoulders. He pulled the other close to his face and crushed their lips together, his moans being swallowed by the mysterious person’s mouth.

Wait. Blond hair? Tanned skin?

Both of them pulled away, the man sucking at Dipper’s lower lip. Their foreheads touched and he could feel the man’s breathing intermingling with his.

“Are you sure about this?” he asked, voice familiar. Dipper swore he knew whose voice that belonged to but right know, his mind couldn’t form any coherent thought.

“Y-Yes. I’m fucking sure it’s too late to back out now.” he whispered, bringing his lips to the other’s again. It started slow and chaste until Dipper felt a tongue enter his mouth turning the kiss into a much more passionate and rougher one.

The man’s mouth left his and immediately latched them under the pulse of his neck while his hand reached for his erect cock. Dipper’s back arched into the touch when he felt the man’s hand grasp his erection.

“B-Bill.” he moaned as Bill squeezed him and started pumping.

Wait. Bill?

Bill.

BILL.

+++

Dipper’s eyes snapped open, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. What the fuck was that?! He bolted upwards and noticed that his boxers were wet with a sticky liquid.

Great. Just _fucking_ great.

He looked at his twin’s bed and was thankful that Mabel was already up and about. He slowly stood up, face scrunching with disgust as he felt his sticky boxers cling onto his skin. Dipper glanced down on his boxers and his mind instantly wandered to Bill’s half lidded gaze, staring down at him with adoration and lust clear in his eyes.

Blush hastily crept up his face and Dipper shook his head in an attempt to forget the dream but to no avail. He buried his face in his hands as he groaned loudly. Did his brain just replace the mystery person with Bill? Why would his brain do that to him? He was dead set in squishing the feelings he had been developing for the demon last night. This is the exact opposite of what he _actually_ wanted!

Slowly standing up, Dipper glanced at his wet boxers again and tried to remove the stain on it. He failed miserably. Sighing in annoyance, he made his way towards the door and grabbed the knob, opening it with a creak. Dipper poked his head first to check whether anyone was there that could see him in such state. Fortunately, there was no one there. He made a mad dash for the bathroom.

After slamming the door shut, Dipper leaned on it to even his breathing. This day really had some things planned out for him. He locked the door and immediately undressed, throwing his used clothes on the hamper haphazardly. He stepped into the shower and turned the faucet on, sighing as the warm stream of water hit his bare skin. _Get yourself together, Dipper Pines,_ he muttered to himself, trying to forget everything for a moment.

Man, he really needs to relax.

But his brain just loves to screw up with him.

Images of Bill looming over him, sharp nails gripping on his sides and sucking him lustfully flashed on his mind.  His eyes widened as he felt the blush blooming on his face and the heat pooling in his abdomen. Dipper didn’t want to but he slowly glanced down only to be greeted by his hardening cock.

_Fuck. Fuck. Fuck._

His body was not supposed to be reacting like this. And he did not just got hard by thinking of Bill. Dipper flinched at every drop of water that hit his extremely sensitive body. His breathing turned heavy and labored as he tried to ignore and wait out his aching cock, but his mind kept on showing that dream and he’ll be damned if he won’t admit that he was getting aroused as fuck.

Dipper remembered the feeling of Bill squeezing him in his dreams. Would it be so bad if he wanted to know how those touches felt like? This is normal, right? Arousal clouding his thoughts, Dipper grasped his hard member, moaning at the sensation that jolted through his every being. He leaned his other hand on the wall to support his trembling body.

Dipper started to move his hand slowly, relishing every pleasure that shocks through him. Not a moment later, his hand started moving faster. “B-Bill…” he moaned lowly, precum slowly dripping down his length. He could feel the pleasure building up in his abdomen. Strokes becoming more rhythmic, he pressed a thumb on the slit of his tip while a breathy moan escaped his lips.

When he realized that embarrassing sounds had been coming out of his mouth, Dipper muffled his groans and whimpers by biting on his other hand, forehead touching the cool tiles of the bathroom walls. His breathing was erratic and his mind was hazy. Dipper could feel that he was close and he pumped even more faster.

The way Bill kissed him passionately was enough for Dipper to come, his cry of Bill’s name stifled by his now bleeding hand. After regaining composure, Dipper leaned his back on the wall. Glancing at his semen covered hand, Dipper’s face scrunched up in disgust and embarrassment at thinking of what he just did.

Dipper was mad at himself. He was mad because he was not able to resist from touching himself. He was mad at himself for masturbating to Bill. Irritated, he grabbed the soap and hastily lathered his body clean. His stupid dreams. This was all because of his stupid dreams. If his brain didn’t fantasize of him and Bill doing such things then he wouldn’t be in this state right now.

What Dipper Pines didn’t know was that dream isn’t a fantasy made up by his desires but actually a memory of his and the demon’s relationship returning 

+++

“What happened to you, Cipher?”

Bill glanced at the cloudless, blue sky above him, feeling the gentle breeze of the wind caress his face. He closed his single visible  eye as he recalled his past with Dipper. A sense of peace washed through him, the grass in the clearing he and Dipper used to hang out danced with the wind. The only thing lacking was Dipper wasn’t there with him.

If only Dipper didn’t go too deep in the woods without him then they wouldn’t be stuck in this situation. A gift. Shooting Star had said something about a gift Pine Tree was supposed to give him, the whole reason why Dipper was traipsing alone.

Then his thoughts shifted to how Dipper looked at him with alarm when the twins returned from Piedmont, how mortified Dipper was when he kissed him, of how he was pushed away by the boy he loved.

How did he end up like this?

_What happened to you, Cipher? You were once feared by many. Look at how miserable you’ve become because of that insignificant human. You’re more than this. Why are you doing this to yourself? You are powerful, evil and a DEMON. Stop this nonsense and return to the world where you truly belong. They’re useless! All of them! Especially that boy!  K̥i͌̋̏̿l͎̙ͤ͂̑̾̽̎l̮̠̮̞ͨ́ͅ ͍̼̭̜̗̥ͅt̲̾̏ͭ͋ͥh̠ͭͪ̚e͎̳̊m͙͖͍̬̒͗ͩ̌!̜͍̤͓̏ͦ͒ ̐̒͑̉̑̈̒Ki͙̼̟͈̯̅̀̋́l̺͔͔̿̒̋ͣ͛̌l͊͐̇̉̂̅ͮ ͎͈̗̭ͯ͛̅ͅt̗͉̼̼ͭͫͩh̞̤̠͎̘e̼̼̤̲͚̲m!̠̟̗̪͚ͤ̅ͫͯ͒̍̄ Look at what they did to you!_

 

ḳ̰̞͚͔͇̯̓͒̓ͬ̂̃͒I̯͎̒̉ͤͮͭ̍ͯl̻ͥͬ͗͛̓̍Ḷ͆ͣ̋͒Ṫͧh͉̭͍͇̪͚͆͊ͪ̄E̊ͮ͒̇ͫ́͂M̺̹̠̯̟̌̐ͩ̃̀

_They are nothing but measly pawns for your plans._

 

K̅͗̇̽i̒ͧ̇̊͒L͚͍͋̀L̊͂͆̅ͪ̀̅ ̫̺͖̼t͙̩͉͉͋̌̐ͤ̒̿͌H̝͍̏̍͗E̞m̗̼̼̟͔̊̒̊͐̽ͅ

_They were supposed to kneel before you._

 

ǨI͔͉̩͈̘̭ͦͯL̞͎̅̒̃Lͧ ͔̲͂̏ͤ͊ͣ̓́T͎͎̫̖ͩ̈H͎͖͔ͥ̑ͧ̔͛͋̆E͖̼̼̋ͭͪͦM̳̒ͬͣ͒̃̓͊

_Forget them. Cut your ties with those petty, inconsequential mortals._

 

When Bill opened his eye, the sclera had completely turned to black, his slitted pupil an icy white. Emotions that he had grown accustomed to turned numb, and his head bobbed lifelessly. This was him. THIS IS HIM. He is a demon with no regards of human life. He is evil and sinister and humans are nothing but a toy to be disposed of.

A wide grin stretched on his face, showing his inhumanly sharp teeth. His obsidian eye gleamed with malice, bloodlust swirling through his being. A slight movement from his left caught his attention, whipping his head only to find a small deer drinking water from the brook. His grin stretched even wider as he sneaked behind the buck, tackled it to the ground and snapped its neck in two.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did I just do?


	18. Fixed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second update for today!  
> Warnings for mild gore and animal death.

_“Hey, Dip Dop! I went out with the girls! There’s food on the fridge, just heat it up! P.S. If you want some Mabel Juice, drink the ones on the bottle.”_

Dipper sighed as he read the note stuck on the fridge for the 3rd time. The shack is closed and Mabel left to spend time with her best friends and girlfriend. Welp, guess he’ll be hanging out with Grunkle Stan today (Since Bill is totally out of the question). He reheated his breakfast in the microwave, grabbed a fork and went to the living room where his grunkle was watching a re-airing of Duck-Tective.

Stan acknowledged his presence by saying a gruff ‘Mornin’”,Dipper only humming in reply. He carefully sat down on the floor, setting his orange juice (because let’s face it, Mabel Juice is hazardous to one’s health) down beside him. Placing his plate on his lap, he started gobbling down on his meal, eyes glued to the T.V..

Neither of them spoke, the only noise was coming out of the television. When Dipper was almost finished eating his meal, his grunkle suddenly spoke up, “You’ve seen Cipher anywhere? Haven’t seen him all day.” Dipper choked on his food at the mention of Bill’s name, Stan immediately grabbing his orange juice to hand it to him. Dipper immediately accepted the beverage and downed the entire juice in one go. “Yeesh, Dipper! I’m old! Don’t get me too excited. It’s bad for my heart!” he grumbled at the still coughing boy.

“Sorry, Grunkle Stan. Just got...” he trailed off, wiping the liquid off his lips. His face started flushing, turning his back to Stan so that he wouldn’t be able to see it. Stan, on the other hand, sat back on the couch.

“You and Cipher got into a fight?” Stan casually asked as he returned his eyes to the T.V., his attention still on Dipper. The boy muttered a few incoherent words before Stan called him for it. “Say it out loud, kid. I’m not a mind reader.”

Trying to make his blush vanish, Dipper turned to his grunkle, his empty plate placed on the floor beside him. Stan didn’t take his eyes off the T.V., but Dipper knew he was listening. An intake of breath before Dipper started. “Grunkle Stan... About Bill...”

“What about him?”

“He seems to be so fond of Mabel. I’m kinda worried for her.” he stated, his head leaning on the couch. Silence settled between them as Stan just kept his eyes on the screen, not even minding Dipper’s uneasiness that was slowly consuming him. When Dipper was sure that Stan probably didn’t care enough, he took his dishes, stood up and head for the kitchen.

Before he could leave the room, Stan spoke up, “Really? I think he’s fonder of you.” This made Dipper stop on his tracks and turned to look at his great uncle who was looking back at him with a serious expression on his face.

“What do you mean?” he asked, confused at his grunkle’s comment. Bill? Fond of him? No way. Sure he and the demon could talk for hours about a lot of topics but Bill would NEVER be fond with him in THAT way. Stan must have misunderstood him. “You don’t understa-”

“Oh, I do Dipper.” he cut off, standing up and taking the dishes from Dipper’s hand. He gently patted the boy’s shoulders before saying, “Have you seen the way he looks at you?” and went straight to the sink.

Dipper was frozen in place. The way Bill looks at him? Bill looks at him the way he normally does, not any hint of fondness or whatsoever. Stan passed by him after placing the dishes in the sink and went back to watching Duck-Tective. He wanted to ask Stan about it but before he could, words already left Stan’s mouth.

“Why don’t you look for Bill in the woods? I’m pretty sure he’s out there.”

Dipper stammered before he spoke, “I-I’m n-not allowed to go there.”

“Says who? Just because you got amnesia after venturing that place alone doesn’t mean I will stop you from visiting those woods ever again.”  hisgrunkle muttered, face nonchalant and voice gruff. He scratched his chin as he reached for the remote and turned the volume higher. When he noticed Dipper was still standing there like a gaping idiot, he shooed him away. “What are you waiting for, a kiss on the cheek? Just find that demon before Mabel comes back home!”

In an instant, Dipper rushed for the door and left the shack. He heard his grunkle shout a ‘Just be careful out there!’ before he was completely out of earshot.

+++

_Bad idea. Really bad idea._

Dipper grumbled as he trudged the woods by his grunkle’s orders. What would he say to Bill when he sees him? _Oh, hey Bill! Just wanted to tell you that I’m totally regretting that kiss but I loved it! And also I masturbated to you today while I was in the shower!_ Dipper groaned as he slapped his face at the thought.Why was he born an idiot? Plus, where would he find that demon? He could be anywhere! And something might attack him again and yes, this mission was poorly planned and plain stupid.

Already regretting his decision, Dipper decided to just turn back and return to the shack. As he was about to go back to the direction he came from, he noticed a small brook trailing towards the deeper part of the forest. A sharp pain jolted through his head as a small memory of him walking beside the brook only to end up in a familiar clearing flashed on his mind.

Wanting to know if it was the same clearing on his dream, Dipper followed the direction where the brook would end. Clutching his head, he found himself in the same glade he and the mystery person used to hang out a lot.

Everything looked serene and beautiful until Dipper spotted a familiar figure hunched over a... is that a deer’s dead body? He noticed the red stains that was splattered on the other’s arm and sleeves as he pulled the entire intestine from the open stomach.

Dipper stumbled on his footing as he tried to get away, Bill instantly detecting his presence. The demon looked like a monster bathed in its prey’s blood and it was enough to terrify Dipper. Before he could stand up and run, Bill was already onto him, pinning his body on the ground and hands tightening around his neck.

 ** _"YOU!”_** the demon seethed as he tightened his hands more, Dipper clawing on the other’s arm in hopes he would snap out of his rage. The boy tried to look at the demon’s eye but what he saw scared him. It was black, this time, more evil and malevolent. **_“THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!”_**

“B-Bill...”

**_“IF YOU HADN’T INTERFERED WITH MY PLANS THEN I WOULDN’T BE IN THIS RIDICULOUS SITUATION! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH YOU’VE COST ME?! I SHOULD BE RULING THE WORLD RIGHT NOW BUT YOU GOT IN MY WAY AND TURNED ME INTO THIS DISGUSTING BEING! YOU WILL PAY THE PRICE FOR MESSING WITH ME, KID!”_ **

Dipper could feel his consciousness slipping as Bill clenched his hands tighter and tighter, deer’s blood smearing on Dipper’s neck. He kept pulling Bill’s hand away but to no avail. His last attempt to stir the demon back to normal was to hold both the demon’s cheek with his hands, thumbs smoothly caressing the blood stained cheek.

Before Dipper blacked out, the hands immediately left his neck, oxygen assaulting his lungs. He coughed excessively, nursing his bruised neck with his own hands. When he opened his eyes, he could see the demon slowly returning to normal, his single visible eye wide in shock, face in utter mortification. He scampered away from Dipper, treaded a hand through his hair and muttered ‘What did I just do? What did I just do?’ over and over again.

“B-Bill...” Dipper uttered, voice croak as he reached an arm to Bill. The demon just scuttled away from him, held his head in both his hands, brought his knees to his chest and then buried his face on his knees, arms circling his knee. He started rocking himself before Dipper called him again. “Bill...”

“STAY AWAY FROM ME!” Bill cried, not lifting his face. His rocking quickened as he desperately tried to calm himself down. “I-I ALMOST KILLED YOU! STAY AWAY!”

“Bill, I’m oka-”

“NO!” he yelled, lifting his face up to look at the boy. Dipper noticed the demon’s cheek glistening and that’s when he realized Bill was crying. “I almost- I was supposed to protect you!” he exclaimed, burying his face to his knees again. “But what did I do?!”

Silence passed between them, the only sound were Bill’s muffled sobs and quiet curses directed to himself. Dipper didn’t know that Bill was already THIS human. How long have the demon been staying with them? He moved toward the demon slowly, kneeling in front of his hunched position. Dipper wrapped his arms around the demon, Bill immediately trying to push him away but he stood his ground. He rested his chin on the crown of Bill’s head, the other’s arms instantly turning limp.

“It’s okay... I’m okay... We’re okay...” Dipper assured as he rubbed small circles on the dream demon’s back. Bill, who couldn’t hold himself back any longer, pulled Dipper closer to him and buried his face on the boy’s chest, hands encircling Dipper’s waist yearningly.

“Please remember.” Bill pleaded silently as he tightened his hold on the boy. 

Both of them stayed like that until Dipper pulled away only to plant a chaste kiss on Bill’s lips.

This day really had some things planned out for him.

+++

When Mabel Pines returned home, she did not expect to be greeted by her grunkle with a small smile on his lips. She asked him what happened but he only pointed towards the attic. Had Bill disappeared? That would be the only logical reason why her grunkle would smile like that. She immediately scampered upstairs and opened the door of Dipper’s attic room violently. 

But what she saw surprised her in a very warm, beautiful way.

Sleeping close to each other was her twin and Bill, the demon’s hand draped over Dipper’s waist. His chin rested on Dipper’s brown locks, the other’s smaller frame spooned by Bill’s slightly bigger one. Mabel’s chest constricted due to glee. She gripped the door knob tightly as she was trying her best not to squeal in delight. But what made her really ecstatic was the blissful expressions on their sleeping faces.

These dorks had finally fixed everything even without her help.

As she was about to close the door, she noticed a large amount of pillows piled messily on the other side of the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know anymore, bye *flies away*


	19. The Man Named Soos

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating last week.   
> I got busy...  
> So, fluff? Anyone?

Bill is _super_ affectionate.

Whenever he sees Dipper, the demon immediately latches onto him like a metal to magnet. No matter the location or what they are doing, nothing would stop Bill from nuzzling Dipper’s neck. Stan had called them for it a number of times but Bill would only stick his tongue out to him and resume his show of affection. Dipper found it both endearing and annoying (only at times when they are in public because PDA is definitely not his thing), but more of the former than the latter.

Due to the demon’s affectionate actions and his constant confession of feelings, Dipper had confirmed that Bill is in no way enamoured with Mabel. Sure they’re quite close with each other but Bill only considers her as a best friend, not a love interest. And still due to the demon’s affectionate actions and his constant confession of feelings, Dipper had confirmed that Bill is, without a doubt, smitten with him, head over heels even. Sappy, yes. But Dipper’s just saying the truth.

Then Mabel had learned about Dipper’s gallivanting in the woods and like all concerned older twin sister, she did not take it well. It took a day and a few assurances from Bill that at all occasions Dipper had decided it was a good idea to take a walk in the woods, he was there to protect him from whatever entity that can hurt him for Mabel to talk to her brother again. Of course they skipped the part that on the second time Dipper was in the woods, a deer had been mutilated and Bill almost crushed Dipper’s throat to bits and pieces...

...Which Bill kept on apologizing day after day and Dipper tirelessly assuring him that it was okay and he understands.

Dipper’s dreams had also been affected with the improvement of his relationship with the demon. The usual blurred image of the mystery-person had been replaced with the image of Bill, constantly cuddling with him or doing rather _very_ intimate things with him, making him hope against hope that it was a memory and not something conjured by his fantasies and imagination. Bill hadn’t said anything about it even if he did mention it to the demon.  Dipper will just have to wait until Bill decides to talk.

But Dipper would be damned if he says that his curiosity wasn’t eating him.

Now situated in front of his lover, surrounded by pillows and blankets while watching a new episode of ‘Ghost Harassers’, Dipper had decided it’s best not to think about it too much and instead, enjoy Bill’s warmth and affection. He leaned on the dream demon’s chest and sighed contentedly.

“Comfy?” Bill asked and Dipper nodded against his chest. He felt Bill’s arms tighten around his waist and he returned his attention back to the T.V.. Stan had retreated to his room early for the night while Mabel, being Mabel, was out with her friends again (Dipper suspects that the reason she hangs out a lot with them was because she wanted Bill and him to spend time together).

Both stayed in comfortable silence as the show went on. Every time Dipper elicited a gasp, Bill would only chuckle, amused at the boy’s investment with the show. Dipper would elbow him only to fuel Bill’s amusement. Then the demon buried his face on Dipper’s shoulder, making Dipper giggle involuntarily. Bill immediately lifted his face to look at him, grin wide and mischievous as he clasped a hand on his mouth.

“You’re really ticklish, aren’t you?” he teased as he slowly extricated himself from the boy. Dipper’s face contorted into a light scowl as he had a hunch at what the dream demon was about to do. He tried to immediately push himself away from Bill, but the arms returned to his waist and pulled him back towards Bill’s lap, Dipper yelping at the sudden contact. “Where are you going, Dipper Pines?” he taunted as he leaned closer to Dipper’s face, the boy still desperately trying to push the demon away.

“Don’t you dare, Bill!” he threatened weakly, earning a smug grin from Bill.

“Oh, I don’t know...” he faux mused, Dipper glaring daggers at him. “Tormenting you seems kinda fun.” he said and much to Dipper’s dismay, started wiggling his fingers on his sides.

The brunette chortled loudly, trying to stand himself up but failing miserably as Bill had a tight grip on him. Laughter filled the entire T.V. room, the show long forgotten as the tickling war commenced, both men on the floor attempting to one-up the other.

“S-Stop!” Dipper pleaded in between laughs as he tried to push the demon off of him. With all his strength, he rolled the two of them over so he was on top of Bill. He then began poking on Bill’s sides, near the demon’s waist, Bill jerking at every jab.

“P-Pine Tree! W-Wait!” he exclaimed, grabbing both the boy’s wrist to stop his poking. The boy chuckled and let their foreheads touch, their laughter slowly receding. When both of them had caught their breath, they opened their eyes.

A bright amber eye met hazel ones, both gazes full of endearment and affection. Dipper wondered if Bill’s eye had always been this beautiful and expressive. Based on the books he had read, demons were usually heartless.  Maybe Bill was at some point and Dipper wondered what made him change. Dismissing the thought, he smiled sweetly at his lover then slowly leaned down, their lips meeting in a chaste kiss. After a few moments, both of them pulled away, Bill reaching a hand to gently caress Dipper’s cheek.

“I love you...” he said quietly, hands slowly trailing to tangle with Dipper’s brown locks. The brunette hummed contentedly.

“I love you too...” Dipper replied, locking their lips once again. He can feel Bill smile through the kiss and he immediately deepened it. Their intimate moment was interrupted when there was a loud knock on the door.

“Who could that be?” Dipper mumbled as he turned his head to look at the door. He gave Bill a goofy smile before slowly pushing himself up. “I’ll get it.” He chuckled heartily as Bill groaned and grumbled while still lying on the carpeted floor, reaching for him and making grabby motions.

When he opened the door, he did not expect to be instantaneously be lifted off the ground and pulled into a tight embrace. He yelped in surprise and made a call of distress directed solely to his significant other. “B-Bill!”

The demon immediately shot up at hearing the boy’s cry for help and scrambled towards his lover only to see him being hugged by a familiar figure. Bill slowly relaxed and sauntered towards them. Noticing Bill’s presence near him, Dipper gave the demon a questioning look only to receive a reassuring smile in response.

When the big man decided to put Dipper back on solid ground, the boy scampered behind Bill, shielding himself from the man’s gaze. He held the hem of Bill’s sweater vest tightly making the demon chuckle.

“It’s okay, kid.” he assured again and turned to the big man, who was now watching Dipper worriedly. “Question Mark!” he exclaimed as he gave the man a huge grin. Said man beamed at both of them and waved his hand, more to Dipper than Bill. “It’s good to see you again! Though, isn’t it a little late?”

“Hey, Triangle Guy!” ‘Question Mark’ greeted loudly while Bill ushered him inside. “It’s really good to be back here again! I miss the place! Can’t wait for tomorrow, you know?” Dipper gave a small squeak as Bill grabbed his wrist and pulled him towards ‘Question Mark’. “Hey, Dip!”

Dipper nodded dumbly in reply. He felt Bill’s hands rest on his shoulders and his tenseness easily eased away. He gave the big man a sheepish smile. “Uh, hey! Nice to meet you, Question Mark.” Now that’s a really dumb name if you think about it. Out of nowhere, Bill hooted in pure amusement, slapping his thigh for that comedic effect while the big man just gave him an amused chuckle. “W-What?!” he asked as he turned to face Bill.

“It’s nothing, PINE TREE.” Bill replied, putting more emphasis on the last two words. “I just remembered something funny QUESTION MARK told me, PINE TREE.” he repeated again, a mocking tone on his voice. Dipper facepalmed himself when he realized his mistake. Of course! It was one of Bill’s stupid nicknames! He glared at the demon who only smirked at him.

Dipper turned away from Bill with a huff and smiled apologetically at the man. “S-Sorry, haha...” he said awkwardly, trying his hardest to sound normal. He cleared his throat. “So, uh... Can I know your name?”

“Oh, right!” the man exclaimed, adjusting his hat on his head and then holding a hand out to Dipper. “The name’s Soos, hambone! You might not remember but I’m your best friend!” Soos laughed genuinely, infecting Dipper with his cheerfulness. Dipper took the hand and gave it a firm shake before retreating it to his side.

“Nice to meet you, Soos.” he greeted again, feeling Bill’s hand slip on his waist. They heard a grumbling murmur coming towards them only to see his grunkle emerge from the stairs in all his under shirt and boxers glory.

“Why are you all so noisy?” he complained while scratching his arm. He eyed them carefully before his vision landed on Soos, replacing his annoyed look with a smile. “Soos!” he exclaimed as he trotted towards them.

“Mr. Pines!” Soos cried excitedly and tried to pull the old man into a hug but Stan just held a hand up to the man’s face.

"Nuh-ah-ah! Don’t you even dare, Soos!” he warned, making Soos let his hand fall to his sides somewhat dejectedly. But the man’s excitement immediately returned as if nothing happened. Dipper shot Stan a reprimanding look but Stan just huffed and went to the T.V. room only to find it littered with blankets and pillows. “What the- KID!” he cried in annoyance and glared at his nephew and Bill. “What is this?!” he said, gesturing to the mess. When he was answered by an embarrassed flush from Dipper and a smug smile from Bill, he shook his head and flopped himself on the couch. “I don’t even want to know.”  he muttered and turned his attention to the T.V..

Dipper’s face contorted in horror as he realized that his grunkle misunderstood. He sputtered some lame excuses while Soos and Bill started laughing and Stan dismissing whatever he was trying to explain.

“Oh, man! I missed this! Like, a lot!” Soos said as he situated himself on the floor near the couch. Bill and Dipper followed suit, Bill insisting Dipper to sit in front of him. Dipper tried to protest but Bill kept on persuading him. He was left with no choice when Stan ordered him to just take the damn seat in front of the stupid demon so that they could watch T.V. in peace. Bill then encircled his hand on his waist and rested his chin on the boy’s shoulder.

Moments later, they heard a car pull in indicating Mabel’s arrival. When she saw Soos, an excited chatter filled the shack as they both recalled their adventures while Dipper listened intently, sometimes asking questions, with Bill quietly falling asleep on his shoulder.

+++

When Mabel, Dipper and Bill retreated to their rooms after saying goodnight (his nephew having a hard time forcing the demon to get up so that they could sleep on their bed instead on the carpeted floor), Stan took the chance to pull Soos into a one-armed hug briefly. It took the man-child by surprise but smiled happily when after the brief embrace, Stan patted him gently on the back and muttered an ‘It’s nice to have you here.’

His trip all the way from Portland was definitely worth it.

+++

From the outskirts of Gravity Falls, metal clanged loudly as a prison cell opened to let a beefy, pale blonde saunter away from the place he had been confined for so long. He held his head high, refusing to look at the people who he was used to be categorized with. A police officer was there waiting for him, his cheerful smile seemingly out of place among the gray walls that surrounded the establishment.

“Finally out of the prison, eh Charles?” the officer suddenly uttered, trying to create small talk while escorting said ‘Charles’ to the giant entryway of the prison. The blonde only answered him with a dark chuckle, making the officer somewhat uneasy around him.

“Yes” he muttered lowly, his words laced with a deep, Southern accent. ‘Charles’’ eyes glinted with malice as his plan for vengeance played out in his mind. It seems that his years in prison wasn’t a total waste of time. “I’m finally out of prison.”

When he was out of the confines of the prison walls, rain poured heavily and thunder roared loudly as if the Earth itself was grieving because of his liberation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm pretty sure you guys had guessed who 'Charles' is...  
> Gotta go watch the Stanchurian Candidate now!


	20. A Deal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Demon OC warning. Believe me, I wanted to put a non-OC demon and an actual Latin summoning incantation. But my super religious friends advised not to (They freaked out when I read a line from 'The Lesser key of Solomon').

Charles had prepared everything perfectly.

The summoning circle had been drawn without flaw, five red candles adorning each point of the star. He took out a tattered paper out of his breast pocket, the parchment turning yellow due to age. He eyed the paper with narrowed eyes as he recalled the day he had ripped that page off from the journal he used to own.

As he started reading the incantation, his eyes started glowing white. The area that surrounded him slowed down whilst turning into a hue he cannot fully understand. But no matter. What’s important is he learns the status about Dipper Pines’ condition.

He took a step back as a being emerged in front of him, blinding white light assaulting his eyes. If he didn’t know any better, he would assume it was an angel he was summoning. Yet what he was actually calling was nowhere near holy.

He eyed the demon cautiously as it began to take shape, its long slender arms resembling a human’s except it had long black claws instead of fingers.  Both its feet touched the ground, Charles slowly looking up at the awkwardly tall demon in front of him whose eyes color often changes every few minutes; from dark brown to stormy gray to icy blue. Its hair resembled the aurora, green and pink shimmering at every light it reflects while a black fedora with pink lining perched on top of it. He was dressed in a green shirt, his pink suspenders supporting his black slacks. If Charles wasn’t in front of the being right now, he would have laugh at his attire, especially at his pink and green oxfords.

But despite the demon’s ridiculous appearance, his face was devoid of emotions. He eyed the human in front of him making the pale blond squirm under his gaze.

“Gideon Charles Gleeful...” he acknowledged, voice surprisingly pleasant to the ears.

“Pseudo Aurorae...” he greeted back, still guarded just in case the demon decides it’s more fun to torture him than go on with their deal. Pseudo, despite being lesser than Cipher, is still as dangerous as the mentioned demon, especially to those who had no smudge, even a little, of magic.

“I’m thinking you had called me for... Pines?” he said, pacing back and forth in front of the blonde. He cocked his head to the side as if studying an interesting organism. “His memory is slowly returning, that I can tell.”

Gideon's head snapped to the demon, fury starting to cloud his rational thoughts. He stomped towards the demon, a surge of confidence (or probably stupidity) flowed through his being, grabbing both the demon’s lapel. He yanked the being closer to his seething face, Pseudo nowhere near impressed.

“What?!” he screeched as he shook the demon. “I thought you had it locked?!” He immediately stopped when a clawed black hand pressed firm against his jugular. Gideon released Pseudo as his grip slowly tightened.

“I suggest you don’t try a stunt like that again, Gleeful.” he warned as he adjusted the suspenders that went awry because of the probably-psychotic child’s attempt to scare him. “You won’t like the things I do when I’m mad.” He flashed the blond a crooked grin that sent shivers down his spine.  

“A-Are you threatening me?!” he stuttered, squishing the fear that was starting to consume him. If he shows that he was afraid, Pseudo would definitely take advantage of him. His eye twitched when the demon’s smile just turned wider.

“Oh, that is not a threat, Gideon.” he answered, his smile out of place with his expressionless eyes. His iris turned into a bloody red, guaranteeing torment and death. “It’s a promise.”

Gideon tried to school his features to placid but was finding a hard time doing so. The demon, now calm and had probably forgotten he was angry in the first place, was now waiting for him to talk.

“Why would his memories come back?” he started, his eyes starting to hurt at the color his surroundings took. “Aren’t you powerful? Why would your powers weaken?”

Pseudo sneered at him, eyes turning to bright green. Gideon had just insulted the demon and Pseudo is not taking it well. “Did you just insult me, you insolent mortal?!” he seethed. Sometimes it would amaze Gideon how the demon’s attitude would instantly shift from one to another.

“I-I d-did not mean it like that?! W-What if Cipher had found a way to break through you magic?”

The demon had calmed down at the blond’s explanation. He strode away from the human and hummed in contempt. “That cannot be. Cipher is sealed right now. There’s no way he can sense my aura on that Pines’ mindscape.” Pseudo took off his fedora and started playing with it. “Emotions, maybe?”

“Well good. At least Cipher has nothing to do with it.” Gideon muttered, clasping his hands together. “But make sure that Dipper Pines cannot access it all! I don’t want them being all fine and happy while I rotted in prison.” He chuckled darkly as his plans played out on his mind again. “I want to make another deal.” he proposed, the demon raising a green eyebrow at him.

“Oh?” Pseudo faux gasped. He held out a hand to Gideon, his flame an amalgam of black, green and pink. “You do really hate them that much?” he snickered as his flames extinguished, turning his back to the boy. “But I am not sure whether you can fulfill your end of the deal. “ He looked at the blond over his shoulder and raised a pink eyebrow.

Gideon’s eyes narrowed at the challenge the demon seemed to be giving him. Of course he could fulfill any promises he makes. That’s what prison had taught him for so many years.

“Trust me, I can.” he said lowly, voice promising nothing but vengeance.

+++

Dipper sighed as he entered Greasy’s, clutching a list that held their dinner for the night. He was supposed to be with his sister but Mabel had run off to the nearby arts and crafts store to buy her daily consumption of industrial sprinkles. Bill, on the other hand, was left on the shack as Stan didn’t let him go with the twins to town, saying he would just do nothing and make goo-goo eyes (and probably much more than that) to Dipper.

After he had received his order, Dipper held the two paper bags with one hand as he trotted towards their shared car. He fished the keys in his pocket and was about to click the unlock button when he heard a voice gasp behind him.

“Is that you, Dipper Pines?!” Dipper cringed at the man’s thick Southern accent, somewhat sensing danger. Ignoring this nagging thought, he turned around only to see a beefy blond man, who was bigger than him, smiling widely with arms outstretched.

“Sorry, but do I know you?” he asked, his senses screaming at him to fetch Mabel and make a run for it. His eyes darted to the car, estimating if he could reach it just in case the man tries to do anything funny.

The man gasped, shocked that Dipper didn’t recognize him. He made a tutting sound and draped one of his brawny arms on Dipper’s shoulders. The brunette immediately tensed at the contact. “Why, Dipper Pines, it’s widdle, ol’ me!” he chuckled, Dipper anxiously laughing along. He hoped the man would leave soon.

“Uhh... S-Sorry. I got amnesia. I don’t really remember you...” he explained, trying to extricate himself away from the man but to no avail. The man snickered, snorting even, as he introduced himself.

“It’s me! Gideon Gleeful, mah dear friend!” He let go of Dipper, the boy inwardly exhaling due to relief. He subtly made a huge gap between them as the man kept on babbling. “In fact, I’m your best friend!” he cried, turning to face Dipper again who abruptly stopped at his attempt from getting away from Gideon as far as possible.

Both Dipper’s eyebrows shot upward at Gideon’s remark. As far as he knows, Soos was his best friend. Maybe the man mistook him for someone else. But he seems to know him a lot. “Nice to meet you, Gideon.” he muttered as he turned to the car, a thumb extended to point at the vehicle. “S-Sorry. I’d love to know more about you but I kinda-” he pursed his lips into a thin line before continuing. “-have to go. My sis is waiting for me.” Without waiting for any reply, Dipper hastily sat on the driver’s seat, gunned up the engine, gave the man a small smile and wave, and drove towards the store Mabel was in.

He adjusted his rear view mirror to examine the man who introduced himself as Gideon. He noticed how the blond was scrutinizing his car darkly, as if he had bad things planned for his entire family. Whatever he wants, Dipper cannot stand being around him, let alone being touched by him. The man’s aura screamed bad news and he cannot risk himself getting into trouble again.

Too bad trouble seems to follow him everywhere.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry there isn't much BillDip. I just needed to get the plot moving since we're nearing the end....


	21. Not Right

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, writing two fics at the same time is DEFINITELY NOT easy...  
> How do other people manage it??? *cries*

“Mabel, I met someone really weird at the Diner.”

Mabel turned her head to look at her brother, who was currently driving their shared car, whilst shoving a handful of sprinkles on her mouth. Though she’s happy that Dipper made a new friend, it worried her how he looked so distraught and creeped out. Well, knowing Gravity Falls’ odd residents, maybe she shouldn’t be too concerned. “Yeah?” she urged with her mouth full.

Dipper darted his eyes to her then back to the road. “I felt so uncomfortable around him, like, he has something bad planned for us.” he confessed as he tried to focus on his driving. Mabel stopped munching on her snack to contemplate about what her twin just said. Now, who would Dipper be wary of?

“What does he look like?” she asked, now a little interested. As she was about to resume her eating, Dipper abruptly stepped on the brake resulting for her to dive into the dashboard head-first, her sprinkles scattering on the floor. Dipper’s eyes widened at her predicament and immediately helped her up as she rubbed her forehead. She could feel a nasty bump already forming.

“Oh my God- Mabes, I’m sorry!” he apologized as Mabel leaned her head on the seat. She wanted to reprimand her brother but with the headache that was starting to creep on her head, no thank you. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah...” she affirmed and heard Dipper let out a sigh of relief. She looked at the mess her choice of snack had made and scrunched her nose in disapproval. “It’s just that... These sprinkles are the only ones left here in Gravity Falls. I mean, the arts and crafts store is the only one selling it right now. THE ARTS AND CRAFTS STORE, DIPPER.” she said, exasperated. She covered her eyes with an arm and sighed dramatically, “What kind of arts and crafts store does that?”

Dipper only rolled his eyes at his sister’s antics. He turned her head to inspect the damage and cringed at the bump that had already grown. “Cold compress. Definitely cold compress.” he advised as he sat back on the driver’s seat. Mabel groaned loudly, hand removing from her eyes to look at her seemingly frustrated brother.

“So, what’s the reason why you wanted to hastily stop the car and grant me this oh-so nasty bump in my forehead?” she asked to her brother who just gave her look. She quirk an eyebrow as if challenging Dipper to say something she definitely wouldn’t like.

“Not my fault you’re not wearing a seat belt.” Dipper mumbled before shaking his head. He let his head rest on the seat, hands rubbing his face in exasperation. “Something is definitely wrong here...” He turned to Mabel with a serious expression in his eyes. Mabel, sensing the urgency, sat straight on her seat.

“What is it, Dipper?”

Dipper’s eyebrows met as he tried to voice his thoughts. “I-I can’t...” he stammered, earning a confused look from Mabel.

“You can’t what?”

“I-I can’t remember.” he confessed, huffing as he tried to recall the creepy man he just met.

“Wait...What?” Mabel exclaimed, her face scrunched in both confusion and worry. This never happened before. Dipper was supposed to starting to slowly remember things, not forget them. As far as she remembers, Dipper doesn’t have a severe case of anterograde amnesia. Retrograde? yes. But severe anterograde? Definitely not. “You can’t remember?”

Dipper nodded as he leaned over to Mabel and pulled the seat belt. Mabel made a face at the restraint but did not protest as to not want to experience the impromptu dive again. The younger twin then started the engine and kept his eyes on the road, Mabel musing that he was still contemplating about the sudden loss of his memory.

She extended an arm to put a reassuring hand to Dipper’s shoulder, the boy smiling warmly in reply. He placed the hand that was not holding the wheel on top of Mabel’s to reassure her back.

“Don’t worry, Dip Dop. We’ll figure this one out.”

+++

After telling the story to the demon, Dipper could obviously tell that Bill did not take it well. He started mumbling in what Dipper assumed was Latin before pacing back and forth, obviously thinking about the state his lover was in. Both the twins could sense his anger but did not understand why. It was Mabel who decided to speak for the both of them, much to Dipper’s relief.

“Is there something wrong, Bill?” she asked curiously, head tilted to the side as her eyes followed the frantic demon in front of them. Bill turned to look at her then to Dipper. His eyes somewhat relaxed at seeing the brunette while Dipper smiled warmly at him in return.

Bill shook his head to dismiss whatever he wanted to say to the both of them. Mabel obviously wanted to interrogate him but Bill just gave her a look for her to close her mouth and nod in understanding. Dipper looked between them and crossed his arms in his chest, annoyed that he felt very left out.

“Do the both of you know something I don’t?” he queried before Bill took both his hands and brought it to his lips. Dipper flushed furiously as he watched the demon plant kisses on his knuckles, whispering sweet nothings under his breath. Dipper might not be able to hear it clearly but he knew exactly what Bill had been muttering.

“It’s something you needn’t be concerned, Pine Tree.” he said as he retracted himself from the boy but never letting go of his hands. Mabel giggled at the shade of red Dipper’s face had turned and he shot her a warning glare. Bill laughed along with her, Dipper wanting to shove the both of them for teasing him. As he was about to say something to probably make them stop poking fun at him, their Grunkle Stan had appeared from the doorway, a suitcase in hand.

“Goodbye, kids and hello again Vegas!” he cried loudly, the three occupants of the room giving him confused looks. He adjusted the lapel of his blue Hawaiian shirt, gold chains glimmering against his chest. He grabbed the suitcase and trudged towards the trio. “Isn’t it a good day for a vacation?!” Stan took an intake of air before puffing them out.

“Uh, Grunkle Stan... Why are you having a vacation now? Isn't it almost the end of summer? And at this hour?” Mabel asked, obviously bewildered at her Grunkle’s sudden urge to go on a trip. And at 8 pm?

“Well, I got a call from an airline company!” He ruffled Mabel’s hair to ease her confusion. “And, just my luck! They said I won a free trip to Vegas!” he bellowed, slightly squatting to grab his suitcase again.

“Did you join a raffle?” Dipper asked, feeling somewhat uncomfortable at the sudden trip his Grunkle won. Something was off but he cannot pinpoint why.

“Nope! But who am I to refuse free things?” Dipper gave Bill a worried glance, the other seemingly furrowing his brows in concentration. Then he turned to Mabel, both their concerned gazes meeting. Stan pointed at the three of them, eyes ridden with age boring into each one. “I’ll be gone for 4 days. Now, you three will be in charge of the shac-”

“But Grunkle Stan!” Mabel cut him off, her earlier worry instantly vanishing. “I am going to hang out with Pacifica for 3 days! Remember?”

Stan grumbled something incoherent as he remembered the promise he gave to his niece and turned to Dipper and his lover. “You two manage the Shack, then. I’m pretty sure you can handle it, the both of you, hm?” Dipper was about to protest when Mabel elbowed him hardly to the side. He gave her a annoyed look before mouthing her a ‘What?’.

“You and Bill are alone on the Shack~!” she sing-sang, laughing loudly as Dipper’s face turned into a tomato. He started chasing Mabel around, the older twin prancing to avoid Dipper’s attempts at catching her. Stan visibly shuddered as the demon snapped out of his thinking to give him a wide, mischievous grin, much to Dipper’s chagrin.

“Oh, old man. I got big plans for your nephew!” he chuckled darkly, Stan giving him a warning glare.

“Don’t you dare soil every part of my house with your shenanigans, Cipher!”

“There’s nothing stopping m-” he was cut off when Dipper placed a hand on his mouth to shut him up. He gave his grunkle an awkward smile and returned his vision to the amused demon, silently reprimanding him for being an idiot. Sure they haven’t done it even after the incident in the glade, but still, Dipper doesn’t want Bill to give Stan such ideas.

Stan waved a hand to dismiss them. “Welp, I’m leaving now. You take care, you bunch of knuckleheads!” he ruffled Dipper’s messy brown locks and gave Bill another warning glower before calling his still grinning niece. “Mabel, sweetie, could you please take me to the airport?” Mabel nodded eagerly and jogged to the coffee table to fetch the keys.

All of them walked to the porch, Bill and Dipper both watched Stan and Mabel leave. Dipper waved to them until the car was out of their sight. He felt arms wrap on his middle and a chin rest on his shoulder. He turned slightly only to see the shit-eating grin plastered on his lover’s face.

“So, we’re alone now. What do you suggest we do?” he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, Dipper gently pushing his face away. Bill only chuckled and tightened his grip on the boy.

“I suggest we go watch a movie and cuddle until we fall asleep.”

Bill’s smile widened before nuzzling the crook of Dipper’s neck. “Sounds like a plan!”

As they both went inside, Dipper couldn’t help the nagging feeling that something bad would happen soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, the depressing week of my life is now gone!!!


	22. Lies and Deceit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Instead of the middle of summer, I'm changing it to almost the end since it feels kinda off to me...

Dipper yawned as he sat in front of the register, fingers tapping languidly on the counter. Business was surprisingly slow even if it was almost the end of summer. Aren’t tourists supposed to spend the most of it by visiting tourist attractions and the like? Then where are they? Not that he’s complaining at the decrease in workload, but boredom is worse than having tons of chores.

His mind wandered to the movie-marathon-cuddling-fest-turned-make-out-session the other night, blush immediately spreading across his fair complexion. He still could feel Bill’s lips on the pulse point on his neck, said lips slowly trailing kisses down to his collarbone. It never ceases to amaze Dipper how much Bill could affect him and he’s pretty sure that he was the same to the demon. He shook his head to rid of the thoughts that caused his body to heat up and instead, focused on other things.

His vision landed on the ‘Employees Only’ door that separates the shack and the house. Bill was in the kitchen, desperately trying to whip the both of them lunch. Dipper had volunteered to do it but Bill insisted, saying he wanted to do something special for the younger twin. Dipper finds the gesture sweet but he does worry about the outcome Bill’s dishes would have. Among the inhabitants of the shack, Mabel was the best when it comes to cooking (if you consider leaving Mabel Juice out). Since she was on the Northwest Mansion for two days now, it’s either him or Bill, and it’s mostly him.

The sound of the shop’s door being opened made Dipper turn his attention to it. Finally, a customer. As he was about to greet the only dupe- er- customer, his voice died in his throat and his whole body froze. The customer was smiling too amiably towards him to the point that it looked quite forced. His blond hair stood tall and proud, eyes still having the malicious intent it held that Dipper noticed when they met at the diner.

It was Gideon.

Wait, how could he remember Gideon now? Last time he checked, he can’t even recall his face. Dipper clutched his head as a sudden jolt of pain started throbbing on the back of his head, as if someone was opening a memory that was locked and hidden deep within his mind.

 The beefy blond trotted towards the counter and leaned an elbow, eyes now trailing the entirety of the shop. Dipper backed away from Gideon, thankful that the counter was there to separate him from the disconcerting man.

“This place hadn’t change!” he commented, flicking a Stan bobble head and watched the movements of its head subside. He then made his way to the t-shirts hung on the opposite side of the counter and chose one only for it to be thrown haphazardly on the floor. Dipper’s nose scrunched in distaste at the treatment their merchandise had garnered. It might be made of cheap material but it was _their_ merchandise.

“You’ve been here before?” Dipper almost spat, eyes still not leaving the shirt. Sure, there might be customers who are quite lazy in returning some merchandise to their proper places but throwing it on the floor in front of the owner’s nephew? The brunette suspected that it was something Gideon meant to do.

“Why, of course!” he exclaimed, hands grabbing a hat, the one like Dipper’s, and then throwing it over his shoulder. Dipper glowered at him. The shit was obviously trying to piss him off.

“Okay, what do you want?!” he snapped, voice not loud enough to be heard by Bill. He was sure he can handle this himself. Bill should just focus on cooking.

“What I want?” A dark chuckle “You wouldn’t like what I want.”

“What-”

Dipper was cut off when Gideon suddenly beamed up at him. He chuckled lightly before spreading his arms outward. “All I want is to tell you the truth, Dipper Pines!” He hastily paced back to the counter, his once jovial-creepy smile replaced with concern. “I’m worried about your whole family with that demon around.” He slightly shook his head as if pitying Dipper.

“D-Demon? There’s no demon here.” Dipper lied. On how Gideon knew that they were currently letting a demon stay and work here in the shack, he doesn’t know. Was this man currently stalking his family?

“Oh, stop lying! I know you have _that_ demon in here!” he said, head turning to the ‘Employee’s Only’ door. “What was his name again?” he faux wondered before he extended his index finger, eyes brightening in false recollection. “Oh right! Bill Cipher!”   

Dipper’s wariness of the blond heightened. Obviously, this guy had known some things about his family, especially not very known ones. “The truth?” he asked, a bit curious. What does this creep know that he doesn’t?

“Yes. The truth about that evil demon.” he said solemnly.

Dipper’s face contorted in confusion. Bill? Evil? Well, he did try to kill him once but that was because Bill had no control over his emotions. Bill could _never_ possibly be intentionally evil. He was not the demon stereotype used to scare people into repenting for their sins.

“Bill is not like tha-”

“What? You don’t remember how he tried to destroy Stanford’s mind?” Much to Dipper’s confusion, a memory immediately returned where his 12 year old self, Mabel and Soos were fighting Bill in his triangular form on his grunkle’s mind. “Or how he turned your body into his very own puppet?” He saw himself being pulled away from his body only to see _someone else_ inside of it. “Or how he tried to... Kill Mabel?” Then he remembered how his twin, his other half, Mabel being held by azure flames, body floating a few inches off the ground, face contorting in despair as she tried to free herself but to no avail.

Dipper clutched his head as other memories of Billterrorizing his family started to cloud on his brain. Tears rolled down his cheeks as images of his lover trying to harm them, he and his family, seemed to flash in front of his eyes. He staggered on his feet only for his arms to snag on the snow globes perched on the counter, making them fall on the floor with a loud shatter. Dipper was sure that the memory he was currently recalling right now was _definitely_ his.

Footsteps could be heard as Bill emerged from the house to probably check on the commotion. “Pine Tree, what is-” Dipper didn’t meet Bill’s eye but heard him gasp and immediately growl under his breath. 

“Gideon.” he sneered, voice laced with venom. Dipper could feel the hatred radiating from Bill at seeing the other man.

“Why, Cipher!” Gideon jovially greeted as if they were old friends. “Looks like little, amnesiac Dippy here now knows about your little secret.” he chuckled darkly not minding the glower Bill was directing at him before the demon was running to Dipper’s side to aid him. Dipper shook the demon’s hand off The moment it made contact with his arm.

“Pine Tree-”

“No wonder you refused to say anything.” Dipper tried to chuckle but it came out broken. “You didn’t tell me about our past because you don’t want me to remember those horrid things you did.” He lifted his head up to look at Bill in the eye. “Why?”

“Dipper, that’s not it-”

“Then what?!” he cried, shoving the demon away as he scampered to stand himself up. “You need me for something!” He wanted to believe that everything was just a big joke, that Justin Ker-Prank would sooner or later jump from who-knows-where and announce that they were on TV. But it was real. And everything he believed in was nothing but deceit. “What are you using me for?!”

“Dipper, please! If you just let me explain-”

“For what?! So that you can spin lies again?! So that you can hurt my family again?!” Dipper pulled his hair in frustration and anger and sorrow. He pushed passed Bill, hastily running towards the living room. He refused to look back at Bill, or even Gideon.

“Dipper!” Bill cried, raking a shaky hand on his hair. He scowled at the psychopathic child, who only smiled at him smugly. “YOU FUCKER!” he growled before he charged towards Gideon to strangle him. Yet before he could harm the blond, he was aggressively repelled by an invisible force causing for him to be tossed on the wall. “What-?”

“Ah, the perks of having deals with demons...” Gideon muttered, smug grin even becoming wider. “Too bad, you’re powerless, huh?” he mocked, lips exaggeratedly curved downward to scoff the demon.

“WHO?!” Bill boomed, the sclera of his eye turning black, skin and hair turning red and his sigils glowing blue as he tried to summon his sealed powers. “WHO DID YOU SUMMON?!”

“As if I’m going to answer that, Cipher! Do you really think I’m that stupid?”

“DIE!” he screamed before lunging at Gideon again only to be thrown off by the barrier.

“Not yet!” He pointed to the direction where Dipper had disappeared. “Though I suggest you try and salvage your relationship with good, ol’ Dipper.” He felt delighted at their misery, especially the demon’s. “If you can~” he sing-sang before waltzing out of the shack.

Bill could only watch him leave as he cannot do anything to harm the psycho. Someone was protecting him and given that he was powerless, no matter what he would do, he can never even harm a hair on the scum.

He hastily stood himself up and ran towards his and Dipper’s room. Bill cannot handle Gideon now so he decided to just mend everything with Dipper. He needed to fix this. He has to fix this. He cannot afford losing the boy again. Bill just got him back and he would do anything just to not lose him.

+++

Stupid. He was very stupid.

Dipper paced back and forth on their room as he tried to clear his mind. How could he let Bill trick them? He probably had Stan and Mabel brainwashed so that they would forget everything he had done.

But what does Bill need from them? He covered his face in attempt to stop himself from crying when his eyes landed on his phone sitting on the bedside table.

He grabbed the device and searched through the contacts list, immediately punching the call button as he found Mabel’s number. He started worrying his lower lip, hoping that Mabel would pick up. First ring then the second then the third. Before the fourth one came, Mabel’s cheery voice assaulted his eardrums.

“Hey, broseph! What’s up-”

“Mabel! Oh, thank God! Are you okay?” he asked, trying to not sound as panicked as he was currently feeling.

“Dipper? Is everything alright?” his twin asked concernedly. 

“It’s Bill, Mabel! He-” Dipper tried to calm himself down but found that he couldn’t. He tried the breathing exercise Mabel had taught him bit it wasn’t helping him like how it used to. “Some of my memories came back. They’re about Bill.”

“What?” 

“I remembered how he tormented us before- how he tried to kill you, Mabes!” he cried, tears welling up again at the image of his sister almost limp and lifeless. “And now he got you and Stan brainwashed so that you could forget everything! He’s using us, Mabel!”

Mabel was silent for a few moments and Dipper worried that Bill had done something to her, that maybe the whole powerless thing was just a facade to make him more innocent and believable. When he was convinced that something bad really happened to his twin, Mabel spoke up.

“Dipper, no one was brainwashed and Bill _never_ tried to kill me in the way you think he did.” she assured, Dipper scowling at what he heard. Bill had Mabel trust him too much. And what does she mean by that? Was that even supposed to reassure him?

“Mabel, wake up! He’s tricking us!”

“No, Dipper, he isn’t!” she retorted, voice rising in volume. Dipper heard her sigh loudly. “Look, Dipper. Bill had done a lot of horrifying things to us.” she started, voice calm as if she’s talking to a child.

“You knew?” he accused. “Then why didn’t you tell me-”

“Because I knew you would react like this! Everyone knew you would react like this!” she cut off before Dipper could say something that could break them apart. “Stan knew, I knew, Pacifica knew, everyone knew!” Dipper could hear that she was trying not to cry. “Okay, we’re sorry we hid it from you! W-We handled your situation badly! It’s just that, we can’t interfere with anything. We figured that it’s best for you to remember on your own.” Mabel held back a sob, and Dipper could feel her wiping a tear from the other side of the line. “I’m sorry.” she repeated in an almost inaudible whisper.

 Silence settled between the both of them as Dipper contemplated everything Mabel confessed. She had her valid point and he realized that he doesn’t care too much about the fact that Mabel hid important information from him. But what he really needed to do was to make Bill stay away from them.

“Bill had plans before, Dipper. Plans that could destroy the world.” Mabel uttered, making Dipper widen his eyes in shock. “But we are always in the way.” Dipper heard her chuckle sadly. He flopped himself on the bed, listening intently as Mabel continued. “We were successful at foiling his plans. After that, we took responsibility for all the things he did. And, this goes without saying, him.”

“He’s evil, Mabel. He tried to kill you!” he interjected, fist clenching on the yellow sheets of their shared bed.

“Correction: He _used_ to be evil and he _saved_ me.” Mabel countered, voice firm and somewhat reprimanding. Mabel really had taken after their mother. Warm and sweet but at the same time, quite stern if needed. “ _That_ memory you saw? It’s incomplete.”

“Incomplete- What do you mean?” he asked, mind trying to desperately rummage into the memory. Had he missed something?

“Was it the one where I was surrounded by Bill’s magic?”

“Well yeah. How did you kno-”

“I accidentally peered into a Gremloblin’s eyes.” she muttered, voice betraying her a bit as it slightly quivered. “And I saw my greatest nightmare, Dipper. Bill saved me from becoming insane. That time, you thought he was trying to kill me. You lunged at him, screaming to free me.” Dipper’s mouth went agape as the thought of his twin being too far gone. “I would be in an asylum right now if it weren’t for him.” She tried to chuckle to lighten the mood but it came out broken.

Dipper pursed his lips into a thin line, sweaty hands treading through his curly, brown locks. He doesn’t know what to believe anymore. He wanted to believe Mabel but the possibility of her being brainwashed was high. How was he supposed to know that Bill hadn’t manipulated her into siding with him?

“And, no. I’m not brainwashed.” she suddenly said as if she was there in front of Dipper, reading his thoughts. Yep, this definitely was Mabel. “Dipper, Bill had changed. He wasn’t like how he used to be.”

“How do you know that? How sure are you?” he asked in both confusion and helplessness.

There was a brief silence before Mabel spoke, “Just... Give Bill a chance to explain.” Dipper heard footsteps in front of the door. He turned to look at it over his shoulder as Bill knocked softly on the pine wood. The door creaked slowly, Bill cautiously entering the room. Dipper immediately whipped his head to look away from the dream demon. “Remember, Dipper... Bill loves you. Don’t ever forget that.”

“I’ll try.” he said truthfully. “I gotta go, Mabes. I need to talk to... someone. Love you.”

“Love you too, brub-brub...”

Dipper pulled the device from his ear and pressed the end button before standing up and spinning on his heels to face Bill. The demon was still standing in front of the doorway and Dipper doesn’t find it quite comforting. He shifted on his feet, unsure of what to do.

“We need to talk...” Bill started before walking towards Dipper. The brunette immediately tensed up when the demon was suddenly in front of him. He tried to back away, a reflex that had always helped him in times of danger. But before he could, Bill grasped his hand and intertwined their fingers.

Dipper gulped before he found his words again, eyes locking on their hands. “Y-Yeah, w-we do...” he nervously mumbled, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Dipper cleared his throat, hoping that he looked more confident than he actually really is. “I just want to say-”

“I love you.” Bill mumbled breathlessly, bringing their interlocked hands in front of his lips and planted a chaste kiss on Dipper’s hand. The younger twin felt heat creep on his face as he watched Bill. He harshly pulled his hand away, the demon caught off guard at the sudden action. His eye met Dipper’s wary ones and the brunette could see how much hurt the demon was at what he did. He almost felt guilty, he wanted to hug Bill and say that everything was okay. But Dipper was determined not to be swayed.

Dipper pursed his lips into a thin line, tears starting to form on the corner of his eyes. He could feel his chest constrict at the words he was about to say. He loves Bill but he needs to think of what’s better for his family. He needs to protect them and he knows what he must to do.

“Please... stay away from me and my family... ” he pleaded silently as tears slowly rolled down his cheeks, the words leaving a bitter taste in his mouth.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to make this fic live up to its tags, I'm sorry...


	23. Forgive Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating soon...  
> Finals and physics and research paper and video reporting along with writer's block came resulting to the deep fried status of my brain!  
> There's a mention of attempting/wanting (???) suicide, btw. It's not really serious but might as well put this here...

_Please stay away from me and my family._

The words rang loudly in Bill’s head, making him feel like he had gone deaf due to what Dipper had said. He was frozen in place hands opening and closing. He tried to open his mouth but no words came, his brain too addled to form anything coherent. Bill looked at his lover, eye silently pleading Dipper to listen to him. But the brunet refused to acknowledge it. Bill tried to step towards him but immediately stopped when Dipper took a step back.

“D-Don’t...” he stuttered, hands held in front of him as if defending himself from Bill. The dream demon glanced at Dipper’s hand forlornly then returned his gaze to his lover’s face. He was torn between wanting to respect Dipper’s decision and doing what _he_ wanted; to hold Dipper.

Against his better judgment, he opted for the latter.

“Dipper, please... Let me explain.” he pleaded before dashing forward and embracing the boy. Dipper tried to push him away, struggled from his hold but Bill refused to let go. He cannot lose Dipper again. “Please, just listen to me...” he mumbled, voice close to desperation. He buried his face in the crook of  Dipper’s neck, hands tightening around the boy. Dipper stopped his struggling but was still tense as Bill held to him like he was the demon’s lifeline. “I love you. I love you. I love you.” he breathed again and again on Dipper’s neck.

“B-Bill... This would be easier if-” he was cut off when Bill’s lips immediately captured his, sending messages of desperation and love and affection. He gently pushed Bill away, hands clutching the demon’s clothes. “This- Stop making it harder for the both of us, Bill!” He extricated himself from Bill’s hold, putting as much distance  between them. “Please...”

“Okay, I admit! I almost killed you and your family for more than one occasion! I tried to bring on the Apocalypse!” he held both Dipper’s hand again, the boy not making any attempt on shaking it off.  “I didn’t tell you because I was afraid, okay? I don’t want to lose you. Not again.”

“Do you really think I won’t understand?” he asked, offense and hurt clear in his voice.

“No! Don’t take it that way!”

“Then what?”

Bill pursed his lips and looked away, his eye landing on their connected hands. He rubbed small circles on the back of Dipper’s hand before looking again at the beautiful hazel eyes of his lover. “I lost you.” he said softly hands moving up to hold both Dipper’s head. “And I was willing to do anything just to get us how we used to be, as soon as possible.” He planted another kiss on the brunet’s lips, this time chaste and quick. His chest felt like it had been stabbed when Dipper hadn’t even reacted to it. “I love you kid and _fuck-_  I’m a demon and I’m not even supposed to feel this!”

Dipper just blankly stared at him before removing the demon’s hands from his face and promptly made his way to the door, opening it and standing on the side while one hand still held on to the knob, something Bill had only seen him do _twice_.

“I’m sorry- I-I need to t-think about all of...” he paused, hand that weren’t holding the knob gesturing between the both of them. “...this.” He opened the door even wider. “Please... I need this.” Bill could clearly see that the human’s eyes were glistening, that he was trying hard not to cry.

“Kid, I- listen to m-”

“PLEASE!” he almost yelled, voice pleading. A tear made its way to his cheek, his hand immediately wiping it away. Dipper turned his head to the side, closing both his eyes and Bill knew that the boy _hated_ him, _disgusted_ even.

Bill dragged himself towards the boy, almost lifeless arms clutching Dipper’s face again. The boy made no move to look at him. He kissed his cheek one last time before leaning in to his ear, whispering ‘Forgive me’ before pulling away and walking out of the room and out of the shack.

+++

When Bill pulled away, Dipper slightly cracked his eyes open only to see the miserable gleam of the demon’s eye. At the sight, Dipper wanted to forget everything and stop him from leaving but his rational thoughts had prevented him to. Even after he heard the shack’s door open, Dipper was frozen in his place, hand grasping the now too cold knob as to prop himself upright.

Minutes had passed before he had gathered enough strength to walk towards his bed but before he could reach said furniture, his body crumpled on the cold, wooden floor. Dipper’s eyes were blank and his chest felt numb. When he thought that he was content with his life even with his memories lost and gone, this has to happen. Dipper was sure that the world definitely _loathed_ him.

He heard the shack’s door open and he immediately jolted up, scampering on his feet. Was Bill back? He hastily made his way to the shop area, heart pounding loudly in his chest, only to find a few tourist checking out their merchandise. Some gave him odd looks while others regarded the broken snow globes. His thundering heart felt like it had stopped, his body inclining slowly on the door frame. His eye fell on the mess, a tear trailing down his cheek.

“Are you alright, son?” a tourist said as he approached Dipper, face in mild concern. Dipper’s gaze didn’t leave the snow globes but nodded limply. The tourist didn’t seem convinced but before he could ask Dipper again, the boy opened his mouth to speak.

“I-I’m sorry, but the shack is closed today.” he mumbled before adding more volume to his voice, announcing to the rest of the few tourist what he had just said. “I’m sorry but the shack is closed for today. Or for the entire week... Due to-to some problems...” his voice slightly cracked at the last word. “Please come back next week.” A bunch of them grumbled as they made their way out but the tourist that had asked him earlier gave him a small pat on his shoulder.

“Well, looking at you, you look like you suffered from a recent ‘ _heart’_ problem...” he said, giving Dipper a tight smile. “Bear in mind that not everything could be fixed...” Dipper raised his head up to look at the man, lifeless eyes looking more lifeless. Before he could snap at the tourist, he added, “But it’s not bad to try and mend things because it might be something that c _ould_ be fixed.” His smile widened before he turned around to catch up with a woman, probably his wife.

Dipper only watched as the man made his way out before he made a beeline towards the door, flipped the sign to ‘CLOSE’ and locked it. The tourist had said encouraging things, to say at least, and he appreciated it. But right now, he doesn’t know if he could handle seeing Bill again... Or not seeing him again. And it conflicted him so, _so_ much.

Dipper made his way back to his room and flopped himself on his bed, face first.

He could only curl in on himself and cry.

+++

It was already dark when Mabel Pines had reached the shack. She waited all day for a text or call from Dipper regarding his situation with Bill but got none. Worried, she planted a quick kiss on her girlfriend’s cheek before starting the car and driving towards their home, rain starting to pour heavier as seconds ticked by.

Not even retrieving her umbrella from the dashboard, Mabel trudged through the muddy earth, the rain soaking her bright pink turtleneck. She discarded her dirty sneakers on the porch before hurrying towards her twin’s room. Opening it, Mabel’s heart immediately fell at the sight of her brother, staring into the wall, eyes blank and lifeless. She walked to her brother’s bed and sat down, the mattress dipping with her weight.

“Hey Dip...” she quietly greeted, hands patting Dipper’s brown locks. Her brother made no effort to greet back and instead tightened his grip on the pillow he was holding. “I was worried. Is everything okay?”

Dipper limply shook his head, another tear staining his already tear-stained cheek. Mabel reached a hand to wipe it dry before resting her hand on Dipper’s shoulder. Silence passed but Mabel was willing to wait no matter how long it would take before Dipper would say something to her.

She was slightly startled when Dipper suddenly spoke up. “I don’t understand...” he muttered quietly as if he was having his very own private monologue.

Mabel leaned closer to look at her brother’s sorrowful face. “Don’t understand what?” she asked even if she knew what his answer would be.

“Everything...”

Mabel pursed her lips in silent contemplation. She understands why Dipper was feeling like this. He always believes that it was his role to protect his entire family, a hero complex he always possess. Though Mabel always appreciates it, she doesn’t want her brother sacrificing everything he ever wanted just for them. Dipper wouldn’t be happy that way.

“I know that it’s hard to understand all of this...” she sighed loudly in deep thought. “Bill did things, horrible things. But that doesn’t mean he can’t change.” Mabel looked at the scenery outside from the triangular window that had adorned the attic room. “It doesn’t mean he didn’t love you...” she said quietly.

Silence flitted between them once again, the gentle pit-pat of rain the only sound that could be heard to be occasionally disturbed by Dipper’s quiet sobs. She sighed again before resting her head on her brother’s arm.

“Dipper... I don’t want you to sacrifice your happiness because of me... Because of us!” she gently reprimanded her twin who had finally looked at her. She gave him a small, sad smile before reaching for his hand and squeezing it gently. “We wouldn’t want that. We want you to be happy, Dip Dop...”

Without warning, Dipper sat himself up, Mabel following his action only to be hugged tightly by none other than the object of her worry. She relaxed herself and wrapped her hands around Dipper, feeling tears soaking through her turtleneck. She didn’t mind though as long as it is to make her twin okay.

“I’m so confused...” he sobbed as he buried his face more on her shoulder. Mabel started rubbing small circles on Dipper’s back to help alleviate his sorrow. “I don’t want to lose him but...” He lifted his face to look at Mabel and cupped both her cheeks. “I need to protect my family...”

Mabel gave Dipper a sad smile then cupped his cheeks back. “Dipper, we appreciate it but you don’t have to do this.” Mabel brought her lips to Dipper’s forehead, the other’s hand resting on her shoulders. “But Bill is also family. You must protect him as much as he protects you. You must protect what you guys have.”

All the confusion and agony left Dipper’s face, realization slowly making way to his face. “This is why I love you so much, Mabes...” Now it was his turn to kiss her forehead. “You’re always here when I needed you the most.” He sucked in a breath before exhaling loudly, hands ruffling Mabel’s hair, a grumble of protests coming from the girl. “But you’re right... And so is that tourist... I needed to fix things.”

Mabel gave a chuckle, her mood slowly lifting. “What tourist?”

“Well, a tourist just gave me love advice while I was closing the shack.” Mabel chuckled louder at what she heard. Seems like Dipper looked so obvious that he was having some love problems.

“A tourist gave you love advice?” she reiterated, still amused at the thought. Noticing that the rain had stopped, she glanced at the window, the clouds already parting to reveal a sky littered with stars.

“Guess I’ll have to find him... You know, clear things out?”

This brought a scowl on Mabel’s face. “If you think I am letting you go wandering alone in the woods at this hour, Dipper Pines, then you are thinking something much more impossible than landing a punch on the moon.” She stood up and tried her hardest to look stern. She placed her hands on her hips and mustered the best threatening scowl on her face. But when Mabel noticed the cartoonish-apple-with-a-sun-hat pattern on her turtleneck, she figured she would never look as serious as she wanted to be.

“I know you’re worried, Mabes...” he stood up and gave her a brief hug. “But trust me on this. I promise nothing bad will happen to me...” He gave her a sheepish smile. “I got Bill...”

Mabel rolled her eyes at her twin’s sappy response before pinching his nose, earning her a groan of annoyance. “I’m happy to hear that! But let’s face it Dippin’ Sauce, you’re gross when you act and say stuff like that.” She chuckled when it was his turn to roll his eyes.

“Can you blame me? I have you as my sister.”

“Hey!”

Dipper slung an arm around her shoulder as they walked towards the door. When they passed by a poster with an image of the moon on it, Dipper punched said heavenly body playfully while Mabel regarded him with confused eyes.

“Apparently, landing a punch on the moon isn’t as impossible as you make it appear to be.” he snickered, Mabel still perplexed, comprehending what he did and when she did understand what Dipper had just done, she gave Dipper an ‘I’m so done with you’ look.

“Oh. My. God!” she grumbled, walking past her brother and suddenly stopping before she was out of the room. “You are such a big nerd!”

Both of them chuckled, lightly teasing each other, as they made their way downstairs, Mabel’s earlier worry for Dipper and Bill finally vanishing along with the confusion and doubts enveloping her brother’s heart.

+++

“Be careful out there...” Mabel reminded him. Dipper nodded exaggeratedly, his twin slapping his hand in irritation. “I am serious, Dipper Pines.” she huffed loudly, eyes trying to silently intimidate him. But Mabel knows that with the design imprinted on her clothes, it’s hard to take her intimidation into account.

“Yes, Ma’am. I will be very careful out there.” He mocked saluted, Mabel frowning even more.

As she was about to probably scold him about how much he should value his safety and well being, the phone rang loudly causing the both of them to whip their heads at said device. They both looked at each other, wondering who would be calling at such hour.

“I’ll get it...” she muttered before taking the receiver and immediately greeting the customer. “Good Evening, this is the Mystery Shack and we put the fun in ‘No Refunds!’ Though, I deeply apologize but you seemed to have called during our closing hours so please call back tom-” Dipper cocked his head to the side when his sister immediately went quiet only to squeal loudly that could probably pierce someone’s eardrums. “Grunkle Stan! Ohmigosh, we miss you!” She smiled brightly as she listened to her grunkle talk. Dipper went to stand beside her sister, leaning on the counter to be able to somewhat hear the conversation. Her cheery face then changed to concern and before Dipper could ask, she was already asking her grunkle about the problem.

“WHAT?! ARE YOU OKAY?!” she screeched on the receiver, Dipper instantly being infected with her worry. “YOU AREN’T HURT, ARE YOU?!” she asked, bringing her hands to her mouth to be able to gnaw on her nails.

“What happened?” Dipper asked, Mabel meeting his eyes and Dipper could see the tears welling on the corner of hers. “Let me talk to him.” Mabel muttered a few words to Stan, telling him that she will pass the phone to Dipper. After a few seconds, Dipper had the phone pressed to his ear.

“Hey, kid...” Stan greeted tiredly, words laced with tiredness and stress.

“Grunkle Stan, what happened? Mabel looked really distraught while talking to you...”

He could hear his grunkle sigh from the other line before speaking up. “Welp, the plane I was riding a few hours ago suddenly combusted its turbine.” he said, trying to sound calm. Despite being quite tired, slight panic could still be heard from his voice. “Good thing the plane still hadn’t taken off before that happened and everyone got out before the airplane was engulfed with fire.”

Dipper’s eyes widened at what he heard. If the plane had taken off- If Stan hadn’t been able to- Then he would be- Dipper shook his head at the thought. What’s good now is that his grunkle was safe and well and ALIVE. He glanced at his twin who was still chewing at her nails. “We’re glad you’re safe, Grunkle Stan.”

“Yeah, me too.” Dipper gave a reassuring smile towards his sister, hand fiddling with the cord of the phone. “I’m gonna go now, gotta rebook my flight or something. With this freak accident happening, I want to get home more than ever.” The brunet inwardly chuckled at Stan’s lame excuse. He obviously hadn’t enjoyed Vegas compared to the last time he was there, not even savoring the fourth and last day he still has and immediately boarding a plane back to Gravity falls where his niece and nephew are waiting for him. The old guy just misses them, Dipper had mused. “You three stay out of trouble okay? Bye now...”

“Bye, Grunkle Stan.” Dipper placed the receiver down and glanced at his sister who had stopped giving her nails unneeded attention. “He’ll be back tomorrow.” he assured, eyeing his sister’s poor nails. “First your hair and now your nails? What’s with you and munching on keratin?” Mabel gave him a playful punch on his shoulder, before her lower lip stuck into a pout.

“I don’t have some sort of fetish for fibrous insoluble proteins, if that’s what you’re implying.” she huffed before grabbing his hands and walking towards the porch. “I love Grunkle Stan and I cannot fathom the idea of losing him due to the carelessness of some airplane designers-”

“Aeronautical engineers, Mabel-”

“Whatever... Same thing.” She turned to face Dipper, both his hands held by hers. Mabel gave him a smile, one that screamed her love and care for him. “Point is, I don’t want you guys to become sad or hurt. I want you guys to be happy while being safe.” Dipper squeezed her hand in thanks and gratitude. Without Mabel, who knows how miserable he would be right now.

“Feel the same...” he cast his eyes to he direction of the woods, Mabel following him. “Gotta go find my boyfriend now, huh?” he mumbled before chuckling. Just that morning, he was willing to cut his ties with the demon but now- Mabel was a walking miracle, that he could say.

“Yup. And I’ll be going back to my girlfriend now. Gotta give you guys a chance to talk. In private.” Dipper could hear the smirk on her voice but payed it no mind. She let go of Dipper’s hand, walked towards the door and locked it then gave the keys to Dipper, who pocketed it in an instant. “Though, I really want to go with you. It’s late.”

“I’ll be fine, Mabes.” He gave her one last kiss on the forehead. “You should go to Pacifica now. I don’t want her to think that I’m hogging her girlfriend.” Mabel chuckled at that. She walked towards her car, gave Dipper a small wave before entering it, started the engine and drove away. Dipper watched the car leave until it was out of his sight. He clenched his hands on the cold keys and made his way to the entrance of the forest.

And damn, he was nervous as fuck.

+++ 

And it just had to rain.

Bill Cipher had done a lot of horrible things. From turning someone absolutely insane to eating childhood memories to planning the Apocalypse and almost probably destroying the entirety of existence, no one could really consider him a good guy. Heck, he even tried to kill multiple times the love of his immortal life, his too amiable sister and their dimwitted family. 

But despite everything he had done, he knew that he didn’t deserve any of this. No one deserved to feel down and hopeless in all their lives.

Except Gideon. That little shit deserved to be tortured in hell, be skinned alive while his nails are removed one by one in the most agonizing way possible.

He growled in frustration as he huddled under a large tree in the glade Dipper and he hang out in, soaked to the bones as rain poured mercilessly from the sky, cold and hungry and tired and just plain _miserable._

Then Bill had considered just killing his human shell, return to the mindscape and escape everything. But he knew he couldn’t. If this meatsack dies, he comes with it, immortal or not. No thanks, of course, to the seal Stan had placed on him months ago. He hated how the spell bound his immortality to the life span of the flesh he had created. It was once possible that he could leave the body if ever the fleshbag starts to die, but with the sigil tattooed all over his body? He might as well try to find a needle in the haystack. At least then, he could use a magnet.

If only there was a way to create an immortal shell then he wouldn’t be stuck in this situation... And dimension.

Yet who would know that he would actually stay longer than intended because of a certain brunet? Definitely not him, his omniscience failing him for once... Or twice if one would count his failure at ruling the world.

He almost cheered in relief as the sky started to clear up, stars twinkling brightly as if to mock him. He leaned his head on the tree’s trunk, eyes falling shut in the process. He slightly cringed at the gross feeling of his wet clothes clinging to his skin and the wet grass and muddy soil underneath him. He _could_ go to town and rent a room from one of the hotels there but he doesn’t want to. The place doesn’t hold any trace from the boy he loved.

Bill sighed loudly as he tried to lull himself to sleep. It might be bad for him to do so but he is an immortal demon stuck in a mortal body, being drenched won’t kill him. Few minutes had passed before he felt a presence in the clearing. He used to be able to identify who the presence was even without looking but now... It could be a forest animal for all he cared.

The presence stopped in front of him and he could feel eyes scrutinizing his every being. Odd. No forest animal would do that. Even a curious buck would be aware of the dangers a human- a demon even more so- could possess and would not linger to look at an entity it had just come across with. It might be a supernatural creature but wow, aren’t they a little brave?

Not in the mood to snap at the creature but also not wanting to be examined like a specimen, he languidly opened his eyes to shoo the being away but stopped when his single visible eye saw the last person he expected to see.

It was Dipper.

Bill was frozen in place, hands grasping the wet grass as his mind desperately tried to form any coherent thoughts. He couldn’t. His mouth opened to speak but no words came out. “I-” he muttered before shutting his mouth and stare at the brunet.

Dipper gave him a small smile before he started, “We need to talk... Again.” He awkwardly chuckled, before bringing a hand to rub at his nape. The brunet awkwardly shifted in his place, looked at the wet ground and pursed his lips.

“Y-Yeah... Yeah, we do...” he finally said and stood himself up, hands using the tree’s trunk for support. He tread a hand on his golden locks and licked his lips before taking a step closer to the boy. He lifted his head to look at  the brunet, bright amber eyes meeting hazel ones. “Dipper, I-”

“Mabel told me about...” he intervened before Bill could say what he wanted to say. “...The things you did in the past.” Dipper shoved both his hands to his pocket before continuing. “Back in the shop, w-when Gideon was in there and you were in the kitchen, I saw some flashes of my memory about you.” Bill’s eye slightly widened at the revelation. Memories about him? “I saw how you tried to kill me, Mabel and Soos in Stan’s mind, how you easily possessed my body and how... you surrounded Mabel with your fire.”

Bill looked away, eyes squinting in recollection at the things he did to the pair. It was horrible, now that he could comprehend human attachments and relationships. He didn’t bother explain himself about the fact that during that time, he was actually saving Mabel. “Yeah...”

“I was afraid that you would do it again... That you’d attempt to hurt Mabel again.” Dipper dug his sneakers into the mud, disturbing the damp grass underneath them. “You know how important Mabel, how important my family is to me... I can’t-” He pursed his lips to stop his rambling.

“I know.” Bill closed his eye, dread starting to settle on the pit of his stomach. He knew where this is going and he doesn’t want it. His chest constricted at the thought of losing Dipper all over again. He doesn’t want to go back to how he was prior his life with the brunet; indifferent, malevolent, _monstrous._

“But then Mabel told me of how you saved her from insanity.” Bill’s eye snapped open, head whipping to look at the brunet who’s now smiling. “Guess I jumped to conclusions on the last memory. Thank you for saving my other half.” Dipper took a step forward and cupped both the demon’s cheeks that had Bill frozen once again. “I was overcome with fear. I just don’t want my family to get hurt.” He intently looked at Bill in the eye. “I was an idiot to forget but Mabel made me remember that you are part of that family.” Dipper brought their foreheads together before saying in an audible whisper the words Bill wasn’t expecting to hear.

“I love you...”

Before he could fully comprehend the words that left the brunet’s mouth, Dipper stood on his tiptoes in an attempt to kiss Bill only to slip, missing the demon’s lips by an inch. Bill, immediately coming to his senses, grabbed onto Dipper’s arms to prevent the boy from planting face first on the forest floor. Dipper heartily chuckled at his clumsiness while Bill was still watching him intently, hands gripping the boy’s arms tightly.

When Dipper’s chuckle receded, he noticed the unblinking stare Bill was giving him, his face instantly shifting to concern. He brought a hand to Bill’s cheeks again, slightly worried at the demon’s unresponsiveness. “Hey, Bill? Are you okay?” he asked, thumb rubbing the demon’s skin.

_‘I love you...’_

Oh...

OH...

When realization struck him, Bill instantly captured Dipper’s lips in a desperate yet passionate kiss, using the brunet’s initial shock to slip his tongue on the other’s mouth. He tangled a hand on Dipper’s brown locks, tilting his head to gain better access. Dipper was quick to respond, circling his arms on the demon’s neck and standing on his tiptoes. The hand that wasn’t on Dipper’s hair enclosed on his waist, both to pull him closer and support him so as not to slip again.

Bill pulled away only to plant small kisses on Dipper’s neck, the boy chuckling lightly as he rested his hands on the demon’s shoulder. Bill stopped his ministrations and brought their  foreheads together. Their eyes locked, Dipper smiling sweetly up to him.

“Dipper Pines, you have no idea-” A kiss. “-how much I wanted to hear those words come out from your mouth again.”

Dipper looked away, smile goofy yet shy. “And you have no idea how much I wanted to say those words to you again...” he mumbled sheepishly, face adorned with a violent shade of red. His hands slid on the demon’s chest, noticing the wet fabric the demon was donning. His nose scrunched and tried to muster a reprimanding look. “You’re wet and we’ll be going home right now, take a warm shower and change into clean, dry clothes.” Suddenly, Bill’s stomach made itself known that it also needed a well-deserved attention. “And we’re going to eat dinner.” he playfully ordered, hands intertwining with the demon’s long, slender ones.

Bill nuzzled his lover’s brown locks, his chest warm and content, before replying, “Aye, aye...”

They trekked through the woods, hand in hand, with one destination in mind: _home._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope this gave justice to the suffering I had you guys go through last chappie...  
> Also hope that it didn't seemed too rush to you fellas!  
> There's probably smut next chapter! (I'm still practicing at writing smut so please don't expect too much *sweats*)  
> I hope you guys enjoy it....
> 
> ...WHILE IT LASTS


	24. To Love And be Loved

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit! I’m so, so, so, SORRY this took a while to get out. It’s just that smut is new territory to me and I’m trying very hard not to step on a landmine. (When in all actuality, I’ve been pushing my laptop away while making pterodactyl sounds every time I remember that I have to write this chapter. Yikes!)
> 
> Plus my mom has been monitoring my sleeping hours, meaning I have little time to write and my days (even on my weekends) are usually reserved for school stuff and chores and such. So if you see me on tumblr, online, it means I’m procrastinating-er- taking a break from all of the responsibilities I have. (And also possibly trying to run away from my thoughts. The things’ nasty.)
> 
> And guess who got a beta reader~ *points to self* Yaaas! This girl! Shout out to the lovely Sharky_Kae for giving her time and efforts in beta-ing this story even though we all know this fic is nothing but crap. (Sorry about that… I hate myself and everything I do and create) So, expect that this fic would improve in quality in terms of grammar! 
> 
> Sorry for the badly written porn but I hope you enjoy this chapter, naughty children!

Sitting in front of the demon and watching TV had never felt so peaceful for Dipper Pines. Sure he and Bill had done this several times now (some of them ending in make out sessions) but for some reason, Dipper found this one much more different than the others. Maybe because things were all cleared up now? Or maybe it was just simply because both knew that there was nothing that could get in between them again.

Sappy, yes. But isn’t it always like that? God, he was turning into a lovestruck idiot.

It was perfect.

Dipper sighed contently as he snuggled closer to Bill, head resting gently on the blond’s chest. He felt slender hands stroke his hair gently to the point of lulling him to sleep. But Dipper didn’t want to. He wanted to relish the moment he was having with his significant other. Dipper felt like it was the only form of apology he could give Bill for all the trouble he and his amnesiac self had caused.

Or there might be another _way._..

The brunet immediately flushed at where his train of thoughts were starting to take him. Where the hell did that idea came from?

His mind started to look for other things to think of, anything just to stop whatever sinful things that had been coming to his head. He focused his attention on the TV, eyes boring on the show they were supposed to be currently watching. That shit didn’t help. His discomfort might’ve been sensed by the demon for Bill looked at him worriedly, eyebrows almost meeting in a light frown.

“Is something wrong, Pine Tree?” Bill asked, hands gently seizing his chin to examine him. Dipper vehemently shook his head, cheeks still red because of his thoughts. “You look a little red, are you okay?” Bill leaned in, checking Dipper’s forehead for a temperature. “Did you get caught in the rain? Do you feel something weird inside you?”

 _Oh, I definitely feel something weird stirring inside me_ , Dipper thought to himself before shaking his head again. Bill didn’t look convinced, his frown deepening. At the look Bill gave him, Dipper willed his thoughts away and flashed the demon a small, reassuring smile.

“I’m fine, Bill. Don’t worry...” he said, squeezing Bill’s hand to prove his point. Bill still seemed to not believe him so Dipper tried to think of an excuse. His mind flashed to him an image of Stan and silently thanked his grunkle. “I’m just worried for Grunkle Stan, is all.” he said quietly, the thought completely overwhelming the previous ones, which he was thankful for.

“Why? What happened?” Bill asked, mildly concerned. Dipper appreciated it even if he was fully aware that Bill and Stan only tolerated each other. It was obvious that if he turned his back on them, they would probably, probably, throttle each other to death. But despite that, he was thankful they hadn’t tried to do that just yet.

“Stan almost got into a freak accident.” he said, deep in thought. “The airplane’s turbines suddenly combusted out of nowhere. Even the investigators weren’t able to trace the reason.” He looked at the demon hopefully. “But I’m glad he’s okay.” He leaned his head on Bill’s chest again, feeling the odd beat of what Bill might have made for a heart. He sighed as the rhythm made him relax.

Bill hummed, contemplating the brunet’s statement and brows finally meeting in a frown. The demon placed a hand under his chin in a thinking manner. “I have a feeling Gideon’s behind this.” Dipper turned his head up to look at the blond, Bill glancing at him at the same time. “He made a deal with a demon. Maybe one to put Stan in harm. He might even be the reason why you lost your memories.” Bill mused, chin now resting on Dipper’s shoulder.

“Do you know-”

“No, nor a hunch.” His single visible eye met Dipper’s before he tore it away to look at his arm. Dipper followed his line of vision, watching intently as Bill rolled up the sleeves of his dress shirt to reveal the sigils adorning his tanned limbs. “That old man got me real good.” he mumbled thoughtlessly.

Dipper extended a hand to touch the seal. It looked like a tattoo but unlike one, it wasn’t raised. Instead, the sigils were flat on his skin, as if it was a birthmark he was born with. Feeling Bill watching him, Dipper turned his vision to his blond significant other. He could see in Bill’s eye how hard it was for the demon to be powerless. How hard it was for Bill, after living centuries, centuries with power, to then become something akin to a human.

And it was all because of him. Stan had sealed Bill’s magical ability just so he couldn’t know of Dipper’s condition.

Feeling guilty, Dipper leaned in to press his lips in a warm, chaste kiss on the demon’s, completely catching Bill off guard. Before the demon could respond, Dipper pulled away. Bill looked at him, slightly confused but pleased.

“I’m sorry.” Dipper apologized, embracing Bill as he did so. He felt arms snake their way to his waist, Bill pulling him even closer.

“For what, exactly?” he asked, taking in Dipper’s natural scent. Dipper planted a kiss on the demon’s jaw, his other hand playing with Bill’s golden locks. Bill gasped slightly as another kiss made contact with his skin, on his neck this time, resulting for him to become more rigid.

“For all the trouble I have caused you...” Dipper pressed his lips just under the pulse point of Bill’s neck. “I know I’m the reason why you’re in this state right now.” The blond grasped Dipper’s wrist to probably stop him from his ministrations.

“Y-You haven’t caused trouble...” Bill stuttered, his cheeks dusted with a light shade of pink. Dipper reveled at the scene before him: Bill flustered and looking rather ruffled. “And I will never consider you one.” Bill brought their foreheads together, both his hands cupping Dipper’s cheeks.

“I’ve ruined your plans for the Apocalypse.”

Bill rolled his eye. “Details.” he said. His vision fell to his arms again and then glanced up to meet Dipper’s. “I might be powerless and this might have crippled my immortality-”

“Wait-” Dipper pulled away from Bill’s hold, frown suddenly taking over his features. “Hold on- What?” He grasped Bill’s arm, inspecting it as if it was the most life-threatening object that ever existed. Bill watched him sadly before taking Dipper’s hand to stop him. The brunet turned to him, eyes full of worry and concern.

“Don’t worry.” Bill reassured, pulling Dipper to another embrace. “It’s not permanent. I told you, it only cripples my immortality. Once it’s gone, everything will be back to normal. Or my definition of normal.”

Dipper was silent for a moment, thoughts whirling into conclusions at possibilities that he didn’t like. It was Bill’s turn to kiss him on the cheek, the gesture desperately trying to send waves of reassurance to him. “Wouldn’t that mean...” he trailed off, worrying his lower lip as the thought tried to consume him.

“Wouldn’t that mean what, Pine Tree?”

Dipper pursed his lips, eyes squinting in devastation. “Wouldn’t that mean there’s a possibility that you could... That something _could_ happen to you?” Dipper muttered quietly which Bill didn’t fail to hear. The demon’s eye slightly widened, tongue licking his dry lips. He looked away, hands fumbling for a magazine that was on the couch. Dipper swatted his arm to gain his attention, irritated that Bill was trying to evade the question. The demon clutched his assaulted arm, pouting while he rubbed it gently to alleviate the sting. “Well?”

“Pine Tree...” Bill mumbled, his hold on Dipper’s waist tightening. He took another whiff of the brunet’s familiar musk, burying his face on Dipper’s hair. “I’m going to be okay.”

“Explain.”

Bill groaned before adjusting Dipper so that the boy could fully face him. The blond watched him carefully as he crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. “I’m not getting away from this, huh?” he asked, his gaze leveling Dipper’s. The brunet shook his head and stood-er- sat firmly in his place.

“Nope.”

The demon sighed, a hand raking through his golden hair. “Fine.” he surrendered. Bill intertwined their fingers together, his amber eyes focused on Dipper’s warm and beautiful hazel ones. “ I am immortal, kid. No matter what happens to me, I don’t die.” he lamely explained. Dipper rolled his eyes at him, annoyed that Bill was beating around the bush.

“Last time I checked, that’s what immortality meant. So, will you go straight to the point or am I gonna throttle it out of you?” he warned, his tone serious.

“Yeah, so this body I created isn’t immortal.”

“Why?”

“Because such things are not meant to be.” Bill inspected his seals, his hand that wasn’t holding Dipper’s traced the sigils. “Anyways, before my abilities were sealed, I could go in and out of the mindscape without any problem. ” He fixed his gaze back to Dipper’s. “I could just leave if this body started to die. And then create a new one. The cycle continues if I wanted it to.”

“And then Grunkle Stan sealed your abilities because of me.”

“Yes, making it impossible for me to use my powers thus prohibiting me from going to the mindscape.” He brought a hand to Dipper’s cheek, a thumb stroking it gently as if he was something so fragile that one wrong move could break him. It always made Dipper feel safe. “When this human shell dies, I can’t leave it. The sigils prevents me to. That means-”

“You’ll die with your body despite your immortality, even if you’re not killed by a fellow demon...” Dipper cut off, his voice slightly breaking at the second word. As far as he could remember, only demons could annihilate other demons. But with Bill’s condition, even a simple human with a dagger could kill him. A tear made its way to his cheek, Bill wiping it up before it could reach past his chin. “Bill-”

“Shh, shh... Dipper...” Bill cooed, kissing his lover’s right eye. “I’m going to be okay. I might not have my powers but I’m still the strongest creature and demon here in Gravity Falls. No one can harm us.” he reassured, pulling away to kiss Dipper’s left one.

Dipper stayed silent, letting Bill pepper his face with kisses. He couldn’t stop the dread that settled in the pit of his stomach. Bill was powerless. Bill was vulnerable. Bill could _die_. And knowing that someone, anyone, could probably be out there after Bill’s head did not help, but only fuel Dipper’s worry.

He didn’t want anything tearing them apart again.

Without second thought, Dipper held Bill’s hand and brought their lips together. For the umpteenth time that day, Bill was caught off guard by none other than Dipper himself. Dipper wanted to tell Bill everything he felt, hoping that the kiss would be able to tell the demon how much he loved him, how much he didn’t want for them to be apart and how much he wanted to be with the demon forever.

It took Bill a second to process what was going on before he returned the kiss with equal fervor, hands reaching up to tangle into Dipper’s brown locks. They both pulled away to catch a breath of air only to kiss again, Bill’s tongue instantly slipping inside the brunet’s mouth, the appendage tracing every nook and cranny. A small moan was elicited from Dipper, hands making their way to the blond’s shoulders and resting there.

Dipper pulled away to latch his lips on the demon’s jaw, tracing sloppy kisses that made Bill’s breath hitch. The brunet’s arm roamed down to Bill’s chest, hands starting to undo the bow tie. Bill started to realize what Dipper was trying to do, and gently pushed the brunet away.

“Pine Tree?” he asked, even more flustered than before. He licked his lips, a hand treading through his golden locks. Dipper, realizing what he just almost did, hid his face with his hands trying to desperately hide his extremely flushed face.

“I-” he muttered before shutting his mouth close, not even trusting himself to speak. “Sorry...”

Bill looked at his embarrassed lover, slightly confused as to what to do. “I guess...uhm...” he stated dumbly along with a nervous chuckle. “Seems like our movie marathons tend to end up in make out sessions, huh?” he joked, trying to ease the awkward atmosphere that settled between them. Dipper only looked up at him, pupils starting to dilate and his breathing labored.

Bill’s eyes widened at the sight before him.

“Oh, shit...” was the only thing Bill said before Dipper found himself on his back, both his hands pinned on his sides. “Shit, kid. You shouldn’t have done that.” Bill kissed him, rougher this time, as his mind scampered on catching up with what was happening. What did he do to garner such a reaction from the demon? Bill let go of his wrists, the hands that left him traveled towards his hips and stayed there. “You know how much _that_ affects me.”

“W-What did I-?” Dipper was cut off as Bill nipped his lower lip before the demon trailed kisses along his jaw. The brunet tangled a hand on Bill’s locks, gasping and whining at every nip of the demon on his skin. “W-What did I do?” he asked again, more successful this time.What just happened? Bill was the one who was a little hesitant at first, but now? It’s as if a switched had been flipped.

Bill didn’t stop as he answered Dipper’s question, “Just by being like that.” His lips made its way to the juncture of his neck, biting the soft flesh enough to leave a mark before licking the assaulted area as if apologizing. He pulled away, inspecting his handiwork. Dipper quirked an eyebrow at the sudden lost of contact, Bill smirking down at him. “If I knew that our movie marathons would always end up like this, I would have bought an entire DVD store, kid.” Bill snickered. Dipper just rolled his eyes, pulling Bill back down into another feverish kiss. Bill chuckled through it, making Dipper growl in irritation.

“Shut up.” he weakly warned, his hands fumbling for the demon’s bow tie. Bill pushed him gently again, Dipper scowling lightly due to both annoyance and confusion. “What is it this time?” he huffed, impatient. Bill just chuckled before removing his bow tie by himself, his expression turning serious.

“Are you sure about this, Pine Tree?” he asked as he unzipped Dipper’s hoodie, placing a hand on the small of Dipper’s back and slightly lifting the brunet to pull the article off. Dipper only answered him with a kiss and immediately pulled away to look the demon in the eye.

“I am.” he said, his fingers tugging on Bill’s sweater vest lightly. The demon smirked at him, his amber eye boring into the very core of his soul. “Consider this my apology for being a pain.” Dipper smiled up to Bill sweetly causing the other to purse his lips in contemplation.

“I’m not gentle in bed, kid.” Bill confessed, his hands moving up and down Dipper’s body. Dipper moaned loudly when Bill’s slender fingers made contact with the nubs under his clothed chest. Bill once again latched his lips on Dipper’s neck until it found its way on his clavicle, sucking harshly until a purple bruise started to appear. “Just so you remember.” he breathed on his skin, pecking it gently as his hands continued to roam everywhere.

“I expected as much- Ah!” Dipper gasped as he felt Bill palming him through his jeans. Electricity swirled through his body, injecting themselves on every nerve fiber on Dipper’s body. Never had Dipper felt such want before. He had touched himself many times, but having the object of his desires do such things to him was throwing him on the verge of senselessness.

Their kisses and hugs were nice, wonderful even. But this was outright _euphoric_.

“But if you want, I could be gentle.” he mumbled, pulling the boy’s shirt up just so his lips could hover above one of Dipper’s nipples. Bill’s tongue darted out, swirling around the hardened nub and nipping it gently. Dipper sucked in a breath, eyes fluttering close as different sensations of pleasure overwhelmed him sending more excitement down his groin. “I’ll try to be, just so I can’t hurt you.” Bill whispered against his nipple, his other hand reaching out to rub and give equal attention to the neglected one.

“D-Don’t.” Dipper managed to reply. Not knowing what to do, he started to pull Bill’s sweater vest to undress the other but miserably failed at the task. He heard Bill chuckle and in one swift motion, he was off the ground, his legs dangling in the air. Bill just smirked at him, adjusting Dipper in his arms as to not accidentally let go of the boy. Dipper flushed at the idea of being carried bridal-style, weak protests coming out of his mouth.

“As much as I want to take you right here, Stan would definitely banish me if he sees any trace of our essences on the floor.” he chuckled, causing Dipper to flush even redder.

“Are you usually an asshole when we do this?” he asked, wrapping an arm around Bill’s neck and lips latching on the demon’s jugular. Bill’s breath hitched at what the boy suddenly did but still held Dipper firmly in his arms.

“Why don’t you consult to those dreams of yours?” Bill retorted, earning a small squeak of embarrassment from Dipper. He chuckled loudly before they headed upstairs, towards their room.

“Wha-? H-How did you know about that? Aren’t your abilities sealed?” he stuttered, pulling away from Bill’s neck to look at the demon with eyes wide. Bill shook his head in amusement, his half-lidded eye darting to Dipper’s hardening cock.

“We sleep in one bed, Pine Tree. Do you really think I wouldn’t know?”

“But HOW would you specifically know about _that?!_ ” Dipper asked, mortified.

“You call, moan, keen, whimper, and whine my name, kid. Believe me when I say that it took all my self-control not to fuck you then and there.” he mumbled on Dipper’s ear, then licking the shell languidly. Dipper involuntarily shuddered as Bill bit his earlobe.

Not a moment later, both had successfully made their way to their attic room. Bill opened the door, and slammed it with his foot.

Gently placing Dipper in the bed, Bill captured his lips once more in a heated kiss, breaking it only to remove the boy’s t-shirt and his own articles slowly as to irritate the other. Once gone, Dipper saw his that his entire body was too covered in seals still written in a language he couldn’t understand.

“What does this mean?” he asked, hands trailing the sigils coiling around Bill’s body. The demon shuddered at the touch.

“I-It says ‘Somnia Daemonium’; dream demon.” he answered, Dipper mouthing an ’Oh’, and resumed the kiss. His hands trailed downward and landed on Dipper’s thighs. The brunet wriggled his hips in an attempt to make Bill move his hands over his growing need but Bill only chuckled and did the opposite of what Dipper wanted by resting his hands on the other’s knee.

“Fucking tease.” Dipper commented, nipping at Bill’s lower lips hard enough to draw blood. The blond growled before grinding down against Dipper, the boy whimpering at the contact. Fuck, just fucking damn it. Dipper’s hands fumbled for Bill’s belt buckle and awkwardly tried to remove them. He was more successful this time than when he tried to remove Bill’s shirt. He unzipped the demon’s trousers, hand slipping in to wrap around Bill’s length earning him a low moan. Bill thrust against his hand, eye half lidded and full of ecstasy. Dipper pumped along Bill’s thrust, starting awkward at first before they found a steady rhythm.

Dipper gave a loud mewl as Bill shoved a knee onto his still clothed groin, clenching the hard cock between his fingers. Bill raked his nails on the boy’s hips that definitely would leave welts the next day. Dipper whimpered and let go of the demon’s length and instead, buckled his hips upward as a silent plea for Bill to touch him. Thankfully, Bill complied without being an asshole and a few seconds later, Dipper could feel his erection freed from his restraining clothing.

Bill leaned down just above his erection, eye hungrily ogling Dipper’s length before taking him whole, Dipper a whimpering mess as he did so. It made him wonder if Bill even had a gag reflex but his thoughts were cut off as Bill swirled his tongue on the tip and pressed it on the slit, licking every pearls of precum before it could dribble down his length. He felt long, slender fingers cup his balls, his cock twitching inside Bill’s mouth. Dipper could feel himself on the edge, his hand flying to grip on Bill’s hair.

Dipper felt something coiling on his stomach. “Bill, I think I’m close.” he said in between gasps. But before he could actually cum, Bill immediately pulled back, Dipper whining as he felt cool air brushing his cock. He tried to glare at the demon, but with the state he is in right now, it probably looked as if he was pleading. Yet the asshole just smirked at him.

“Not yet, my sweet Pine Tree.” Bill said in a sing-song manner. He pulled both Dipper’s pants and boxers down and threw them on the floor before he did the same to his trousers. Now, both of them are stark naked, the only light coming from the moon illuminating their bodies. Dipper blushed furiously, seeing Bill nude and looking like a god that descended from the heavens just to fuck him.

Bill kissed him again, gentle at first, hands gripping tightly on his hips. Dipper was the one to deepen it, wrapping his arms on the demon’s neck. Without breaking the messy kiss, Bill reached for their bedside table, producing a bottle of lube from the second drawer. Pouring a decent amount on his hand, Bill slicked his fingers, Dipper distracting himself by removing the still tied eye patch on Bill’s right eye. The motion caused Bill to stop momentarily, but he did not stop Dipper.

Dipper marveled at the demon’s eye, a thumb rubbing just under it. “I see the galaxies in your eye.” he commented, bringing his lips to kiss Bill’s eyelids. Dipper wondered how Bill could have fallen for someone like him. Bill was obviously out of his league. How was he able to earn the demon’s affections? He continued to kiss every part of Bill’s face, the demon sighing contentedly and resumed what he was doing.

Bill spread Dipper’s legs and kneaded his cheeks before he pushed a finger in, Dipper moaning due to the sudden intrusion. He felt it twist inside him, stretching and relaxing his inner walls before another finger was pushed in. It moved in a scissoring motion, spreading him even more than Dipper ever knew he was capable of. But it almost took all his self-control not to keen like a wild animal when a third digit was added, his earlier thoughts immediately annihilated by what Bill was currently doing to him.

And then the fingers were gone, Dipper groaning at feeling so empty. He raised his head to look at Bill only to feel the tip of the demon’s member penetrate his hole, seeing stars dance on the corners of his eyes as Bill filled him instead.

“Ah- _Fuck!_ ” he almost screamed, nails digging on the demon’s skin causing blood to appear. He stuttered apologies only to be cut off by Bill moving inside him. “ _Holy- Fuck!_ ”

“Did you like that, Pine Tree?” Bill cooed, pulling himself almost completely, the head of his cock the only thing left inside Dipper, before slamming into him, hitting Dipper’s bundle of nerves. Cries of pleasure and ecstasy left Dipper’s mouth, begging and pleading Bill to just fuck him _senseless_. Bill smirked down at him and started thrusting at a rhythmic pace, all aimed to hit his sweet spot almost mercilessly.

Just the way both of them wanted.

Dipper never really assumed Bill as someone who would be gentle when it comes to these kind of things. Just basing the fact that Bill is a demon was enough reason for him not to think such. Dipper, on the other hand, had some sort of masochistic tendencies, though it’s something he didn’t want to admit outside the bedroom. So with the way they were going; the pace, the thrusts, the smashing of lips, the bites and the nails, Dipper was sure he was very close to the edge.

And to add the feeling of pleasure already surrounding his entire body, the demon wrapped a hand around his throbbing member, pumping in time with his thrusts.

“Bill, I’m going to-” he screamed, bucking his hips upward before he came, his entire body shuddering at the feeling he had only felt in his dreams. He slumped on the bed underneath him, moaning at the over-stimulation Bill was still giving him as the demon continued to thrust into him, rhythm long forgotten, before he came inside Dipper.

As the few of the tremors passed, Bill sprawled himself on top of Dipper, tracing lazy kisses where his lips could reach. Dipper giggled slightly, cupping the demon’s cheeks to give him a chaste kiss. Bill hummed through it, smiling as both of them pulled away.

“I love you...” Bill murmured, burying his nose on the crook of Dipper’s neck. The brunet smiled, happiness blooming inside his chest. He might have not remembered everything yet, but he was sure that he remembered how much Bill loves him. Kissing the corner of the demon’s mouth, Dipper whispered an ‘I love you too...’ in reply.

After a few seconds, Bill pulled out, his speed spilling out of Dipper’s hole. “Oops.” he chuckled, grabbing a handful of tissue to remove the cum inside his lover. Dipper let out a short gasp as Bill finished in what he was doing, throwing the tissue in the trash bin before slumping on Dipper again. “I missed that.” he whispered, arms circling around Dipper’s waist. He pulled the boy closer, shifting their positions so Bill was the one on his back and Dipper leaning on him.

“That was amazing.” Dipper replied, laying his head on Bill’s chest. Their fingers intertwined, Dipper felt the exhaustion starting to consume him. He yawned before he looked up at the demon, a goofy smile plastered on his face. “Thank you.”

“For what?” Bill asked, rubbing soothing circles on Dipper’s back. Dipper leaned back on Bill and tried to stifle a yawn but couldn’t.

“For being patient with me...”

Bill buried his nose on Dipper’s brown locks, humming in both contentment and reply.

A few minutes had passed, Dipper felt his eyes starting to droop. Bill carded a hand through his hair, helping him fall fast asleep.

+++

Bill caressed the face of his sleeping lover with the back of his hand, indulging the moment of peacefulness and contentment only the brunet could give. It never ceases to amaze him how much Dipper had influenced him. Sure, fun and chaos were his specialty, but there were times that he needed a break from that life.

And only Dipper could give that.

His thoughts started to wander around Gideon and the deal he made, face scrunching in worry. What if that demon was more powerful than him? How would he able to protect Dipper? His family? He should really tell- no, force- Stan to remove the sigils surrounding his entire body.

Because Bill knew it took more than just pure strength to kill a demon.

He brought his lips to Dipper’s forehead, whispering words of reassurances as he pulled away. Bill knew it would take time to remove the seals, more time than it had taken to make them in the first place. He’d just have to irritate that old man into getting his ass to work the moment he stepped back into the shack.

But if Stan couldn’t take the seal off in time, then he would only have his trust in himself and his strength to rely on. Because whatever happened, even if it cost him his life, he would protect Dipper Pines.

Bill pulled his Pine Tree closer to him, waiting for nothing but sleep to claim him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For some reasons, I feel awkward when I write the phrase ‘I love you’. I don’t even know why, it just feels REALLY weird to me… 
> 
> Anyways, I want to give all of you my biggest thanks for all the kudos, comments, bookmarks and even just by simply reading this fic! You don’t know how much happiness it brings me to see you guys sparing some of your time just to read/kudo/comment/bookmark this poor excuse of a fic. (I’m sorry… I won’t do it again. I promise)
> 
> There’s only two chapters left (including the epilogue) and I hope all of you guys would stick with me until this story closes. 
> 
> Again, thank you so, so much and I wish all of you would have a merry Christmas and a wonderful new year!


	25. What We Lost

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So remember that ending I came up while I was in a bus? This was it. 
> 
> I was also supposed to post this somewhere during the 2nd week of January, but stuff happened and yeah… I wanted to get this out because I know I’ll be extremely busy these next few days since finals are apparently a thing and I wanna curse whoever thought that it was a good idea to torment poor college students twice (or thrice) a year…
> 
> And you’ll hate me for this. I also hate me for this too… I’m disappointed with myself.
> 
> Warnings for gore and kinda graphic violence.

Two days had passed since Gideon had disrupted the peace and harmony surrounding the Mystery Shack. So far, there was no sight of him but everyone was still alert and up on their toes. Mabel had taken up lessons in self-defense with the help of Pacifica’s private instructors. Dipper went into his own research about how to banish demons from their realm and trap them there forever. Bill had tried to summon his ability to no avail and instead, focused on tactics to defeat the demon using sheer strength. While Stan, after his arrival, had been immediately forced into research for the removal of the seal by both Dipper and Bill, since only he could remove it. He was surprised at the suddenness of it all but after hearing about what happened while he was gone, he literally dumped his suitcases on the living room and went straight to work.

Stan’s freak accidents still continued; ceramic plates falling mere inches from his head, the steps of the stairs suddenly drenched with cooking oil and the totem pole collapsing in front of the shop’s entrance after he led a tour. The twins were extremely worried for him but he guaranteed them that nothing could easily take him down, insane demon or not.

Bill snorted at him, earning him a smack from Dipper.

When it was only a week before the twins would finally turn twenty, Mabel had suggested that they not organize a party with the reasons that it could distract them from the current threat at hand and Gideon could use the event to his advantage just to get to both of their necks. A simple dinner with family and friends would be enough, she had said. Dipper asked her if it was okay, knowing that Mabel had always loved shindigs, but the girl assured him that it was alright and their safety were much more important than a stupid party.

So, Dipper focused more on his own research. Using both the internet and the old, but reliable, hardbound books he had acquired from the town’s local library (which was surprisingly full of informative books about the supernatural) to find new information and possibly look for any clues regarding the identity of the demon Gideon had summoned.

He was supposed to focus on these topics but when Stan had sadly informed them that the only way he had found in removing the sigils could lead to death to both the sealer and the demon if ever the ritual was unsuccessful, Dipper had immediately joined Stan in his research. Bill had assured him that the method would be better than nothing but Dipper discarded the option away, not wanting to both lose his great uncle and his significant other.

A day away from their big day, Dipper found himself hunched over a book about demons in hopes of finding a less risky and dangerous method of unsealing the sigil. He sighed loudly, constantly worrying his lower lip as he eyed the page word for word, fingers idly kneading the edge of the paper. His eyes squinted in irritation and after a few more minutes of glowering at the page, he finally let his head drop on the table with a loud _thump._

He hummed in content when he felt long and slender fingers card through his brown locks. He turned his head to the side, smiling when he saw the blond’s face. Bill smiled back, dragging a chair and sitting beside Dipper.

“Are you okay?” he asked, still not stopping from treading his hand on the brunet’s hair, a show of affection from Bill that he loves the most. Dipper pouted at him, the demon chuckling lightly, before he nodded and closed his eyes shut. Bill pursed his lips, silently staring at the tired brunet in front of him. “You should rest.”

Not even lifting his head from the table, Dipper managed to shake his head. “I can’t.” he mumbled, sitting up straight and rubbing his tired eyes while Bill’s hand left his hair. He pulled the book back to him and resumed leafing through the pages. “I need to help Grunkle Stan with the research. I need to find a safer ritual for both of you.” he added. Bill pursed his lips, his vision landing on his arms before turning it back to Dipper.

“You’re overdoing yourself. Plus, it’s your birthday tomorrow, you should relax.” Bill said, closing the book Dipper was currently reading. The brunet grumbled, opening the book back again only for Bill to grab it away from him. He glared at the demon weakly, Bill raising an eyebrow in return. After a few heartbeats, Dipper sighed in surrender, knowing full well that Bill could do the staring contest for the whole day without getting exhausted.

“Fine!” he cried, exasperated. Bill smiled at him and stood up, stacking Dipper’s books and closing the boy’s laptop without shutting it down. Dipper narrowed his eyes at him, his lower lip pursed in a thin line. All he wanted was to help Bill but the demon seemed to not want it and it made him feel useless at the moment.

When Bill turned to look at him, his eyebrow met in a light scowl. “And what is that face for?” he asked, casually resting an elbow on top of the pile. He reached a hand to cup Dipper’s cheeks but the younger man just weakly swatted it away. “Pine Tree.”

“All I wanted was to help.” he muttered, folding his arms on the table and burying his face in them. Bill gently placed a hand on his shoulder, the younger boy immediately shrugging it off.

"Pine Tree, I appreciate your help. I really do.” he assured, Dipper turning his head to look at Bill. He carded his hand through the brunet’s hair again, Dipper’s scowl slowly leaving his features. “But I don’t want you getting tired just because of all this research. You need rest and I don’t want you sacrificing it just because of me.”

“But Bill-”

Dipper was cut off when Bill leaned in and pressed his lips on the younger man’s, his thoughts immediately scrambling towards the corner of his mind. He could feel the butterflies as they fluttered in his stomach, electricity jolting down his spine. When the demon pulled away, he playfully squinted his eyes at Bill, who was smiling at him cheekily.

“You cheated.” Dipper accused, the other chuckling at him.

“I didn’t.” the demon retorted with a toothy grin.

A loud crash coming from the shop interrupted the two and Dipper, fearing that it was Gideon again, met Bill’s eye before he dashed towards the shop. Mabel was the one who manned the shop today and that psychopath might do something to her. Not that he doesn’t trust his twin when it comes to protecting herself, but he knew that they could do better if both of them and Bill would work together to pummel Gideon’s face on the ground.

He screeched to a stop by the ‘Employees Only’ door when he saw Mabel just picking up a few of their heavier merchandise from the floor, laughing while a man with black fedora and odd hair was helping her with the task. Dipper swore he never knew who the guy was but he had a feeling that he was up to no good. He coughed to catch both of their attention at the same time Bill almost stumbled beside him. Mabel and the stranger looked at him simultaneously, the former lighting up at seeing him while the latter tilted his head in slight interest.

“Dippin’ Sauce! What’s up?” she asked, standing up and placing the items on the counter. The man followed suit, Mabel giving him a ‘thank you’ to which he just replied with a small but polite nod and smile. She jogged up to her brother and his demon, hooked her arms on theirs and dragged them towards the man. “Dipper, Bill, I’d like you to meet Pseudo! He just moved here today and is trying to get himself around town!” He turned to the man, Pseudo, and gestured her hand to the duo. “Pseudo, this is my bro-bro, Dipper and his dorky boyfriend Bill!”

“Hey!” Bill protested before glaring at Pseudo with more intensity than usual. Dipper noticed it, slithering his hand with Bill’s and intertwining their fingers. The demon glanced at him, flashing him a small smile, and returned his vision back to the stranger, much calmer this time.

“Pleased to meet you, Dipper, Bill.” Pseudo greeted, extending a gloved hand to them both. Dipper, not wanting to be rude despite the nagging feeling in his mind, tried to reach for it when Bill’s hand grasped his to stop him. He looked up at Bill, the demon subtly shaking his head. Dipper eyed Pseudo in alarm who was in turn flashing them a sly smirk.

Mabel looked between them, feeling the tension starting to build up in the atmosphere. She inched closer towards her brother, slowly becoming cautious of the man in front of her. Pseudo just smiled wider, turning around to inspect some of their merchandise. He picked out a snow globe with a cluster of pine trees and a young buck in it, shaking the fragile ornament and disturbing the glitter that accumulated on the bottom.

“This town is intriguing, isn’t it?” he said, eyeing the snow globe with faux interest. The trio looked at each other before Mabel spoke up for them.

“Well, Gravity Falls sure do hold a lot of charm.” she replied, constantly worrying her lower lip. “I mean, this place is buzzing with weirdness. Who wouldn’t be attracted to that?”

Nodding as if contemplating her words, Pseudo started to throw the snow globe in the air, catching it with only one hand. He turned back to the three as the ornament landed on his right. “But do you know what’s more intriguing?” he asked, his tone giving them no choice but to answer.

“W-What?” Mabel questioned, her hand gripping the hem of Dipper’s shirt tightly.

Pseudo’s crooked smile widened, showing rows of jagged teeth. He returned the snow globe on the shelf, finger languidly tracing the round glass.

“Why, stolen memories, of course.” Pseudo chuckled, making his way to the three. Bill started snarling, Dipper trying his best to calm him down. An angry Bill was never a good sign. The man with odd hair color leveled his gaze with the demon, the heavy tension in the atmosphere even becoming heavier as both tried to defeat the other in a silent battle. “Lost little things, only to be found when the thief gives them back. Did you know that there’s a way to return them without turning someone completely insane? Well-”

In an instant, Pseudo was on the ground with an enraged Bill on top of him, hands clenching tightly around his neck. Dipper tried to get him off the other man but Mabel held him back, pointing out that Bill’s skin was slowly turning red and his sigils glowing electric blue in an attempt to summon his abilities. Pseudo, on the other hand, only grimaced at the pressure applied on his neck.

“YOU WORTHLESS, LOW-RANKING, SON OF A BITCH!” Bill seethed, his fingers clenching even more and turning the skin underneath it an ugly shade of purple. Pseudo grimaced in pain and Dipper swore he heard something crack. “HOW DARE YOU TOUCH MY HUMAN?! I CLAIMED HIM!”

But instead of being threatened, Pseudo just smirked at him, inhumanly ugly and twisted. “You know claims aren’t important when a deal is involved, William.” he said before grasping both of Bill’s arm, burning it with his obsidian flames. “It’s just business. Nothing personal.” Bill screamed in pain but instead of immediately removing his hands off Pseudo, he bashed the other demon’s head on the floor.

“We gotta call Stan!” Mabel cried before she grabbed Dipper’s wrist and ran towards their great uncle’s bedroom. Dipper tried to shake his arm free, Mabel refusing to let go.

“Mabel, Bill needs me! Let me go!” he cried as they turned left, Dipper almost colliding with the wall.

“No! It’s dangerous! Bill can handle himself!” She screeched to a halt in front of Stan’s room, rapping the door violently while Dipper still desperately tried to wrench his wrist free from her grip. “Grunkle Stan! Wake up! We’ve got trouble!” Mabel and Dipper both cringed when they heard a loud crash reverberate throughout the shack, making Mabel bash the door with even more fervor.

When a disoriented Stan opened the door, Mabel pushed past him with Dipper in tow. “Sweetie- What­-?” She frantically searched through his messy desk with one hand, shoving the unnecessary items and almost crying in triumph when she finally saw Stan’s research under all clutter. She grabbed the loose papers, making sure that everything was complete.

“No time to explain!” She exclaimed, thrusting the papers to Stan before dragging both him and Dipper towards the commotion. All of their eyes widened when they were met with a gigantic hole on the shack’s walls. “Okay!” she breathed out, trying to calm herself in the fastest way possible. When her hold on Dipper loosened, the younger twin immediately dashed through the hole, dodging broken glasses and splintered wood as he did so. Mabel wanted to follow him but instead decided to turn to Stan who was still perplexed with the suddenness of all the chaos happening around him.

“What happened here?!”

“Okay, so Grunkle Stan, you really, _really_ , need to remove those sigils on Bill because-” She gestured with her head to where the two demons tried to overpower each other, one with mere strength while the other with his abilities. “-someone’s trying to kill him. Or all of us! Who knows?” She pushed Stan towards the ruptured hole on the wall and immediately hopped off when she saw her twin trying to get near the two clashing demons. Mabel caught up with him, preventing him from what he intended to do.

“Bill!” Dipper cried out, worry and fear starting to consume him whole. He could see the blood flowing from one of Bill’s wound on his forehead, the liquid already covering half of his face. He gasped loudly when Pseudo clenched a hand on Bill’s neck, summoning his flames and burning the flesh underneath it. Bill screeched inhumanly as he thrashed from Pseudo’s hold. Both Bill’s hand seized the other demon’s arm, twisting it in different directions until a loud crack resonated in the air. Pseudo only hissed.

And then Stan immediately went into action. The twins whipped their heads to Stan as their great uncle ran back inside the shack and returned with a bucket of red paint, immediately painting a devil’s trap on the dirt in precise detail instead of an unsealing circle, away from the two battling demons. Both their faces turned hopeful at seeing their great uncle work until they saw the last thing they needed.

“Stan!” the twins warned and before Stan knew it, he was already tackled on the ground by beefy man with an obnoxious pompadour. Gideon smiled manically at the older man before his fist made contact with Stan’s cheek.

“Why, Stanford! I didn’t know you have any knowledge when it comes to these things!” he chortled before he landed another punch on Stan’s face. The old man struggled underneath Gideon, pushing himself up and successfully landing a left hook on his ribcage. Gideon sputtered and tried to lunge at him again only to be restrained by both Mabel and Dipper.

“Goddammit! Gideon!” Mabel screamed as they both rammed him on the ground, face first. They both twisted his arms on his back, Dipper elbowing him on the head in an attempt to render him unconscious, but failed miserably.

“Why are you so hell-bent on destroying us?! Dude! Move on!” Dipper yelled, eyes glancing to Bill before returning his vision back to Gideon. “We don’t want trouble!”

“You destroyed my life!” Gideon screeched, squirming underneath the twins’ hold. The two dragged him to the side, near where a rope was laying on the ground. They tied both his arms and feet, Dipper securing the knot snugly on the man’s beefy wrists.

“You tried to kill my brother! On more than one occasion!” Mabel retorted, punching him square in the jaw.

Meanwhile, Bill and Pseudo were still locked in a heated battle, the former with large cuts and burn marks while the latter with major injuries that could render a human dead. The blonde spat blood from his mouth, wincing slightly as pain shot up in his throat and vibrated in his skull.

“I told you, I harbour no loathing against you or any of your humans, William. This is indeed just a deal I needed to fulfill.” Pseudo confessed while he tried to move his broken arm with a hiss. The appendage only twitched but refused to do more. “You know the rules.”

“Do I look like I give a fuck?” Bill spat. He tried to summon his abilities for the umpteenth time that day, the sigils only glowing an electric blue. He cursed profanities under his breath, eye bloodshot in anger. “What did he offer you anyway? His soul? Isn’t that a little old school?” Bill launched himself at Pseudo and shoved him to a tree, forearm pressed on the other demon’s throat.

Pseudo’s face contorted into a grimace. “You can’t kill me with this, William.” he muttered, voice hoarse. Bill pushed his arm more, almost cutting Pseudo’s airflow.

“You seem to have forgotten that I am higher in rank than you.” Bill sneered, Pseudo clicking his tongue in irritation. “I can kill you. Demonic energy or not.”

“But it will take longer time.” Pseudo chuckled, mouth contorted in an ugly grin. Bill’s eyes narrowed, his slitted pupils becoming more dilute. Pseudo’s vision flickered to Dipper, who was helping Stan on painting the devil’s trap, before returning them to Bill. “And if you kill me, he’ll never have his memories back. They might be returning now, but they will never be whole. Even. With. Your. Help.” He chortled before Bill smashed his head on the tree’s trunk.

“Return them.” Bill ordered, a hand positioned on Pseudo’s chest on where his heart would be located. His nails dug on Pseudo’s skin, blood seeping on the other demon’s white shirt. “Either I’ll kill you or you’ll be banished. So I suggest you do what I told you to, else you’ll go to the worst hell you’ll ever know.” he seethed while gesturing his head towards Stan.

Pseudo visibly gulped, fear starting to take over his features. Bill could see how the other demon was trying his best to act brave but he saw past the defenses. He might not know what Pseudo fears right now, but he was sure his mere threats was starting to get to the other demon.

“I can still defeat you.” Pseudo threatened, earning him a smug smirk from Bill. “I am not powerless. Unlike you.”

“With how weak you are? You wish.” He pressed his forearm once again, almost crushing the throat underneath the skin. “I can kill you. You know that. You are lower than me and your efforts in burning my throat didn’t even produce any grave result. And that’s without my abilities.”

Pseudo sneered at him before his head slumped in defeat and completely gave up. “Deals are important to me.”

“As I’ve said earlier, I don’t give a fuck.”

“I will pay horribly for this.”

“So? At least you won’t die.” Bill muttered and after a few moments, Pseudo nodded his head hesitantly as he made his decision. Bill loosened his hold on him but still vigilant of what the other demon might do. Pseudo sauntered towards where Gideon was tied, Bill close behind him. He eyed the devil’s trap with disgust, Stan, Mabel and Dipper confused at what was currently happening.

“Demon!” Gideon said, voice hopeful but still holding a trace of malice. Pseudo bowed to him apologetically, the psychotic man’s face immediately contorting to bewilderment. “What do you mean by that? What are you doing?”

“Forgive me. I have to break our deal.” he deadpanned before he turned towards Dipper, the boy shooting Bill a confused look only to be replied with a reassuring nod.

“You fucking, double-crossing, poor excuse of a demon!” Gideon screamed, Mabel shoving a hand on his lips to shut him up. “I shouldn’t have made a deal with you!” he managed to say despite the limbs trying to shut his mouth.

“I value myself more than our deal. Your soul is not worth my life.” Pseudo snapped. He placed a gloved hand on Dipper’s forehead and started chanting something in a demonic language. Dipper’s birthmark glowed and in a blinding flash of light, the brunet’s scream ruptured through the air.

Bill’s eye widened, teeth bared in a snarl. He tried to interrupt with the ritual but was deflected with an invisible barrier. Mabel screamed Dipper’s name, Stan preventing her to run straight to her brother’s aid in fear of something bad happening to her.

“ENOUGH!” Bill cried as he tried to break through the barrier to no avail.

Pseudo only glanced at him, the light slowly receding and Dipper’s screams turning into small sobs. “I never promised that the process wouldn’t be painful.” he mumbled, letting Dipper slump on the ground. Bill ran over to his lover, holding him close and whispering soothing words to help him adjust. “I assure you, he won’t lose his sanity.”

Dipper, on the other hand, saw various images flickering in front of his eyes. He clenched his hands on his hair, pulling them a little harshly in an attempt to alleviate the pain. He could feel the memories inserting themselves in his mind, filling empty gaps that once dominated his brain.

The brunet feared that he would go insane until he heard Bill’s voice calming him, the demon’s slender fingers intertwining on his instead. He leaned his head on Bill’s firm chest, the pain on his head slowly receding and memories returning in a much calmer pace this time.

He saw his childhood days, the time he discovered the journal, the summers he had spent in Gravity Falls and his memories of Bill.

He saw the precious memories of him and his lover on their special place.

He slowly opened his eyes, seeing Mabel in front of him with tears in her eyes. She tackled him in a hug, Dipper groaning because of her weight.

“Ow, Mabel-”

“What happened on fourth grade, Valentine’s day?” she asked out of nowhere, Dipper chuckling when he realized that she never mentioned that event when he was in his amnesiac state.

“I didn’t receive any cards and everyone made fun of me. So, I hid myself in the storage closet. Then you slipped a letter through the door’s gap. It was made from all the letters you received that day.” he said with a small smile.

Mabel hugged him again, including Bill this time, while tears continued to flow down her cheeks. “Bill, his memories are back!” she exclaimed, Dipper chuckling even louder. Dipper could feel Bill nod, the arms encircling him tightened.

Pseudo cleared his throat, catching the attention of everyone in the area. “I will make my leave. The energy I still have left is only enough for my healing. Forgive me for the inconvenience I had brought.” he mumbled before bowing low. A void appeared beside him, Pseudo slipping through it and was gone in an instant.

Dipper breathed a small ‘thank you’, adjusting himself to be able to embrace both Mabel and Bill. A single tear streaked through his cheek, happiness swelling through his chest. Finally, after everything they have been through, all would be alright. Nothing can harm him and his family anymore.

The brunet looked at Stan, the older man watching them with a small smile. He shook his head, erasing the still-wet devil’s trap he had painted on the ground with his foot. After he was done, he picked the brush, moved a few steps away from the one he had first created the circle and painted a pentagram on the ground, the one meant for removing the seals off Bill. Dipper slowly stood up, both Mabel and Bill watching him, before they followed his lead. The twins assisted the demon then made their way towards Stan.

“Grunkle Stan...” Dipper started, the con man replying with a gruff ‘hm?’ He worried his lower lip, vision falling on the pentagram painted on the ground. “Will both of you be okay?”

Stan met his steady gaze but immediately returned his attention back to what he was doing. “To be honest, I don’t know.” Dipper pursed his lips in worry. “But don’t worry kid.” he mumbled, nodding when he deemed that the pentagram was enough.

Bill untangled himself from the two and slowly made his way towards Stan. “You two stay far away. This could get dangerous.”

Both Mabel and Dipper nodded, the older twin immediately running towards the tree line. Before Dipper followed her, he cupped Bill’s cheeks and brought their lips together in a chaste kiss.

“Yeesh! You two continue that later!” Stan grumbled, muttering something like ‘children these days and their shameless public display of affection’ under his breath. Dipper and Bill only chuckled when they pulled away, Dipper’s thumb gently stroking Bill’s face.

“Stay safe.” he mumbled, Bill leaning on his hand.

“I will.”

Dipper nodded and went to stand beside Mabel, the female twin giving him a reassuring smile. Bill stood on the middle of the pentagram, careful as to not erase any part of it. The demon turned to look at Stan, the older man nodding before he started arranging the papers on his hands.

The younger twin started tapping his right foot as he waited for Stan to finish preparing himself for the ritual. He watched Bill as he stood there silently, eyes closed in concentration and being completely patient despite under all the pain he was enduring. His vision trailed towards Gideon, the psychotic man now crouched low as if readying for a sprint, free from his binds-

Dipper’s eyes immediately widened. Gideon was free from his binds, a dagger clenched in his hands, and running quietly towards Bill as fast as he can.

“BILL!” Dipper screamed as he bolted towards his lover, forcing his legs to run even faster than he was capable. Bill looked at him in surprise when he heard Stan yelp as he fell on the ground before he felt a sharp blade pierce through the skin in his throat. His vision fell on Gideon, who was flashing him a manic grin, and felt the blade twisting inside his throat. Gideon pushed the blade even deeper before he dragged it down all the way to the demon’s clavicle.

Dipper heard Mabel shriek in horror but ignored it. Bill. He must save Bill. He hastily pushed Gideon away from Bill, the beefy man taking the dagger with him. Dipper’s eyes met the demon’s single orb before he slowly fell on the ground, the younger twin shoving Gideon away and sprinting to catch Bill before his body collided with the ground. He gently lowered Bill, tears streaming down his cheeks.

“P-Pine-” Bill wheezed, Dipper gently stopping the demon with his attempts at talking.

“Shh, Bill, Shh...” he whispered, laying Bill’s head on the ground beneath them. He tried to think of a way to minimize the blood loss, hands gripping his hair. Bill’s eye flickered towards him, Dipper hastily shedding the flannel he was wearing and folding it neatly. He gently placed it on the wound, near Bill’s clavicle, and applied a little pressure.

“Kid, get out of there! I’ll remove his seals!” Stan exclaimed, repainting the smudge parts of the pentagram in precise detail. When Dipper made no move to leave Bill’s side, Stan gently but hurriedly dragged him away from the gasping demon.

Gideon tried to run away but Mabel was able to tackle him on the ground. Her eyes were red with tears and the anger she was harboured for the psycho was overflowing. “This is for my brother!” A punch landed on Gideon’s left cheek, a purple bruise immediately starting to appear. “This is for Bill!” Another punch landed on his right cheek, making him lose a tooth. “AND THIS IS FOR EVERY TROUBLE YOU HAVE CAUSED MY FAMILY!” she cried, her punch landing on Gideon’s nose, rendering the blonde unconscious. She stood away from the psycho and went to comfort her brother.

“Mabel, Bill is- He’s going to-” he sobbed, burying his face on the crook of Mabel’s neck.

The pentagram glowed a blinding electric blue as Stan started to chant the spell, Bill’s breathing getting shallower and shallower as the minutes ticked by. Dipper felt Mabel’s hand tighten around him as Stan’s voice rose higher and higher as he continued the chant. A bluish-white barrier of light surrounded the pentagram.

The sigils on Bill’s body started to glow, first in white next in hot red then golden yellow. His sclera turned completely golden, body shuddering in spasms. Stan fell to one knee, teeth gritted as the ritual came to its climax. The light surrounding the barrier intensified until the only thing Dipper could see was white. He clenched his eyes shut, unable to look at his surroundings for much longer.

And then the light vanished.

Dipper scampered to his feet the moment his eyes adjusted back, making his way to the unmoving demon inside the pentagram while Mabel went to aid their exhausted grunkle. Smoke drifted from the demon’s body, his skin slowly mellowing back to its normal tan color. The seals around his body were gone but the wound on his throat wasn’t. The ritual might have stopped the bleeding but the gash was still open. He tried to cup the demon’s cheeks but his skin was searing hot. A sob escaped from Dipper’s lips when he noticed that Bill’s eye looked lifeless. The brunet removed his eye patch and cried harder at what he saw.

The golden specks in Bill’s covered eye were no longer there.

Despite the demon’s burning skin, Dipper cradled his head on his arms as if it was his own lifeline. He buried his nose on Bill’s golden hair, not even bothering on stopping the tears that flowed out of his eyes. Stan bowed his head in sympathy while Mabel could only cry on his shoulder.

His memories were back but Bill was gone.

And he could never grasp the reality that what he lost was much more precious than the memories he regained.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *breakdances out of the room*


End file.
